The Lord Of The Rings
by music.means.love
Summary: Aurora was the youngest of Lord Elrond's children but she has trained o be one of the most skilled warriors that Middle Earth has ever seen. But what is the past that haunts her? And what is she willing to do to keep those that she loves far from danger? Yes, this is a tenth walker story.
1. Return To Rivendell

Chapter One: Returning to Rivendell

"There's nothing quite as majestic as Rivendell in the spring. Don't you agree, Lady Aurora?"

Sariandi spoke softly as she looked up in awe at the strong and secure stone walls of the place I had once called my home. After nearly a century away, it was again to become my place of refuge. It always slipped my mind that Sariandi had indeed visited Rivendell before. It had been so long ago that I always seemed to remember meeting her on my travels when in fact she had accompanied me from the very day I left my home and family all those years ago. She was so much more than a lady in waiting; she was my best friend.

"I do agree that it is rather delightful...but I have seen far more beautiful sights in my time." I countered as I too gazed up at my family home. "Although, no sight has ever seemed so welcoming; I must admit." I smiled as I took in the familiar trees and lakes surrounding my home.

"I think you will find the residents inside to be even _more_ so welcoming. According to your brother's letter, Lady Arwen has been looking forward to your homecoming ever since your father sent for your return!" Sariandi exclaimed.

I smiled to myself. I too had missed my only sister terribly. Leaving Arwen behind had been so extremely difficult. I smiled to myself in anticipation of seeing her beautiful face full of joy and happiness when she saw that I had returned home. My brothers, Elladan and Elrohir would also be happy to see my safe return...but I knew that they would not show their true happiness and would instead act masculine and pretend not to care. Their obsessive pride made me chuckle.

"Milady, please tell me what entertains you so?" Sariandi asked hesitantly.

"Oh nothing; I just didn't realise how much I had missed my family, that is all." I spoke honestly. When I was away, I barely thought of my family at Rivendell. But now I was within mere yards of seeing them again I found a large swell of excitement form in my chest at the pretence of seeing them again.

"Well, you shall be seeing them any second now; we have arrived at the front gate." My lady in waiting announced excitedly as the carriage drew slowly to a halt. I heard the clink of metal as the large gates were opened before the carriage regained speed and continued on its path to the castle.

A sudden wave of nervousness came over me and I found an anxious bubble forming in the pit of my stomach. Sure, I was _excited_ to see my family...but what if, for some reason, they were hostile towards me. My leave of absence had been a rushed decision and I barely said goodbye to everyone. But, surely they understood due to the circumstances. My father had told me he understood completely at the time...but that was then and this was now. What if now, their views and opinions on the matter had changed?

The carriage once again eased to a stop which informed me that I had no time to contemplate simply running away forever. Sariandi said something about her excitement over our arrival but I couldn't concentrate on the words. This was it. I was going to see my family. I was going to walk through the familiar halls of the place that would always be my home. I took a deep breath and peeked out of the window.

Arwen.

My beautiful sister was emerging from the front door, her face eager and uplifting. I had missed her unbearably so; I didn't even realise it until the moment I saw her perfect face smiling at me in joy.

"Aurora!" She exclaimed as she threw the carriage door open and pulled me from my seat and into her arms. My sister held me tightly and I couldn't stop my hands wrapping around her and pulling her close to me. "Oh sister, I have missed you terribly!" Arwen pulled back and I saw tears of joy and love streaming down her flawless face.

"As I have missed you, dear Arwen." I beamed at her and wiped one of her falling tears with my thumb. "But there is really no need for your tears, sister, for today is a happy day."

"Ah but that is why I cry, little Aurora," She still called me 'little' even though I was over one thousand years of age. "I cry with joy and relief of your safe return. Come now," She looped my arm through her own and led me to the castle entrance. "You must tell me of all your travels. Father tells me you have explored many foreign lands and have endured many great adventures?"

"I promise you I will tell you everything," I laughed, "But first, I must see the rest of our family. Tell me, where are our brothers?"

"Elladan and Elrohir are out hunting, they shall be rather upset that they were not here to greet you, but they should be back some time this evening." Arwen informed me as we entered the castle.

"What of Father?"

"Why, my Aurora, your Father is right here," A warm and distinct voice came from my left and I turned to see my Father's wise face as he marched over to me; his arms open. I embraced him immediately, relishing in the familiar earthly scent and the soft feel of his velvet tunic and cloak.

"It's wonderful to see you again, Father." I whispered into his clothing, knowing he would hear me clearly. My fingers ran through the ends of his silky hair as we held each other close. I pulled away and saw the true smile in his eyes.

"Aurora, I cannot tell you just how much Rivendell has missed you. It seemed the castle was not the same after you left. It's marvellous to have you back where you belong. Sariandi has informed me well of your travels but I do wish to see the results of your training for myself...in a non-dangerous way, of course." Lord Elrond smiled down at me.

"Of course," I agreed. "I think you will be proud of me, Father. I have worked extremely hard these past years. I believe I am ready to defend myself and those around me against any possible threat."

"I'm glad, my dear. But as long as you don't go looking for trouble..." He began.

"Do not fret, Father. I promise that unless I am called for; I will not be leaving Rivendell again in the foreseeable future.

"I'm glad to hear that," Arwen beamed radiantly. "I have missed my sister so much these past years; I couldn't bare it if you were to leave again so suddenly." She confessed; her honesty ringing throughout her words.

"But how could I leave again when you and I have so much catching up to do?" I returned her smile. "But first I must venture out into the gardens. They were once my favourite place in all the land and it's hard to believe I have not stepped foot in them for nearly a century!" I spoke as I walked quickly to the large oak doors leading to the castle gardens. "I will only take a moment and then you and I can have our much needed catch up."

"I shall hold you to that!" Arwen laughed as I slipped out into the gardens.

~x~

One day had passed since my return to Rivendell. My brothers had returned in the early hours of the morning and had attacked me with embraces and questions the second I opened my bedroom door that day. Their lively energy soon had me beaming from ear to ear. Being around my brothers was like being sucked into a constant joyous occasion. Like nothing bad could ever happen when they were close. I relished in the security I felt within the walls of the castle.

Much had happened to Arwen in my absence. She was 'in love', apparently, with a human named Aragorn, son of Arathorn and therefore heir to the throne of Gondor. She was so besotted with this mortal that she was willing to give up immortality for him and would instead chose to lead one single mortal life before succumbing to whatever death the human life would grant her. To be honest, I found the whole thing entirely ridiculous. The mere idea of being completely at the mercy of another out of choice seemed idiotic to me. But of course I did not tell my sister that, she seemed to be in love with the whole _idea_ of 'love'.

I had always thought myself to be far too independent to marry. I was far too focused and dedicated to the task at hand, whatever that may be, to be able to fully commit to another. And I knew for definite that I was far too selfish and emotionally unattached to ever put another's needs and well being before my own. I couldn't help it; it was just who I was. And I found that I craved my privacy far too much to share it with anyone else. I wasn't an outcast or anything; I just needed my solitude every now and again. I found that if I spent too long with the same people, I wanted to scream as though I had gone completely insane.

But I knew the true reason that I did not wish to find a 'soul mate'. For I knew deep down in my heart that if I were to marry, I would be forced to give up on my dreams of becoming a glorified warrior and would instead be made to live a boring and mundane eternity as a mere noblewoman. And I knew that after a few centuries, I would grow to resent my 'loved' one for forcing me down a path I would not have chosen for myself. It was safe to say that I was not exactly in desperate search for a partner.

Plus, finding someone that my father would approve of would be a task near impossible.

"Milady, is there anything that I can get for you? A beverage or a parasol, perhaps?" Sariandi had finally found me in the gardens.

"I'm quite alright, Sariandi." I smiled at my hand maiden in reassurance. "You should rest for the remaining hours of the afternoon. I know that you shall be busy tonight at the council feast."

"Thank you, Milady. Do not hesitate to find me should you require anything." And with that, she turned on her heel and headed back into the castle, her golden hair glimmering in the heavy sunlight.

Members of the council had been arriving all day in preparation for the 'important' meeting that was being held at Rivendell the day after. Father would not tell me what the meeting concerned, but he _did_ inform me that the council were waiting upon a group of hobbits to arrive with an important object. I was only gone a century and now hobbits are being trusted with serious responsibility? How times had changed in my absence.

"Ah, I knew that I would find you out here. You always did enjoy immersing yourself in the outdoors." My Father's wise voice interrupting the beautiful silence. I turned to find him sitting next to me. My Father was the only person ever capable of sneaking up on me and he enjoyed finding various ways to do so. "I wish to speak with you, Aurora."

"What is it you wish to discuss, Ada?" I returned my Father's smile.

"I wish to discuss the matter of your return." He began and I listened intently. "I understand why you left, truly I do. After what happened with Claire," as soon as her name was mentioned my breath halted and my heart stopped. I had not mentioned or heard that name since before I left Rivendell...since the attack. "Well I honestly didn't know if you were ever going to fully recover. Your mind was so..._scarred_ to say the least. To witness such a terrible thing at such a young age...it was one of the worst things a father could see.

"But you showed me just how strong you were when you decided to leave. You were so determined; so focused that I could not find it in my heart to refuse you of your wish...even though I was terrified that you would suffer the same fate as your friend."

I looked to the ground as my Father spoke. I had buried these horrific memories long ago, locked away in the dark corners of my mind. Claire was the reason I became what I was today. She was the reason I chose to fight instead of sit back idly and do nothing like I had when...when...

"I have spoken to the masters you trained with and they all are astounded by your skill and would recommend you for battle in a heartbeat..." He seemed to deliberate over his next words and I knew that whatever he was about to say, he knew that I would not like it. "However...I cannot and _will_ not allow you to put yourself in extreme danger and therefore I will not allow you to be stationed at the borders as you wish."

"But, Ada!" I protested but he continued.

"No, Aurora. My will is unmoving. I will respect your wishes in the most part and will make you a part of the guard but you will be stationed here at the castle rather than at the borders. Should the castle ever be invaded, you will have your turn to fight but I will not have you called out to the wars of men."

"You forget, Father, just how much these 'men' have sacrificed for us! Many a man has laid down his life in order for Rivendell to remain free. And you would be so selfish as to not return the favour!" I stood from the marble bench as my hands fisted.

"Do not dare accuse me of being selfish! I have allowed you to wander Middle Earth and train to be a warrior! Something I _never_ wanted you to become! All my armies will fight alongside man but I will not risk your life so extravagantly! If any enemies were to find out who you are, the exposure would surely ensure you a place as a target!" My Father seethed and I retreated slightly. I shook my head; I should have known not to call my father selfish.

"I am sorry, Ada. I am truly grateful for your acceptance of my chosen path...and I will respect your wishes. I will gladly be stationed at the castle." I did not wait for his reply and instead hurried back into the castle.

I scorned myself mentally for the single tear that escaped my left eye.

~x~

"Milady? Your Father has asked me to inform you that he expects you to be at the Great Hall in twenty minutes. The Feast will begin in less than an hour." Sariandi had dressed up slightly for the occasion in a dark blue silk gown with a lace trim.

"Thank you, Sariandi." I smiled. "Please inform my Father that I will be down shortly." I did not wait to hear her response and instead turned back to the full length mirror in my bedroom, scrutinizing my appearance. The gown was a soft lilac shade which was sleeveless and hands sheets of material from the shoulders falling down my back like wings. It was plain and elegant. My hair was piled in loose curls at the crown of my head with a silver circlet surrounding my head. The silver made my emerald eyes stand out against my fair skin.

I thought I looked ridiculous.

All council members had now arrived apart from the necessary hobbits. I had yet to interact with any members under my Father's wishes. I assumed that since I had not been seen or heard of since I was but a young adolescent, my Father wished to use this feast as a means for me to re-present myself into society. I simply could not wait to get the whole evening over and done with.

I had left Rivendell when I was but thirty years old, the equivalent of seventeen human years and so my experiences of feasts and balls were limited. I did not know what to expect from the evening before me and that unnerved me more than any battle. Placing the silver bracelet that Arwen had bought me as a homecoming gift around my right wrist, I deemed myself ready and smoothed out my dress before heading out of my bedroom.

"Oh, Aurora! You look _beautiful_! Arwen exclaimed as we met at the top of the marble staircase. "You have grown so much since you left." She patted my hair in a motherly manner. She had always been my protector of sorts...well, _before_ I left. I was the youngest of my siblings by far. There was at least one thousand years between me and all of my siblings and therefore I would always be considered the baby of group.

"You look lovely, Arwen; so graceful and elegant." I admired her dark green gown. "Will I finally meet your beloved Aragorn on this night?"

"Oh no," I smiled at how she blushed. "Aragorn is accompanying the hobbits on their journey. He will arrive tomorrow alongside them."

"Splendid. I do so look forward to meeting the object of your affections. I must see if I deem him worthy of your attention or not." I raised one eyebrow comically and my sister laughed; her laughter like a peel of bells.

"Shh," She scorned, playfully. "Remember, not many people know about me and Aragorn so if you could-"

"My lips are sealed." I said before she could finish.

"Thank you, sister. You can truly never understand just how much I missed you." She hugged me once more. "Right," She said as she released me from her gentle hold "Are you ready to re-immerse yourself into Middle Earth?"

~x~

The evening was going well. Well, as well as could be expected from a council feast. Many if not all of the council members had spoken with me about how much I had grown since they last saw me and how they heard of the terrible tragedy that occurred before I left. I just nodded and agreed without giving too much detail on the matter. As I had said before; I _really_ did not wish to speak about..._that._

The feast was to be served in less than twenty minutes and I had finally managed to slip outside onto the stone balcony overlooking the gardens just for a few moments of rest from the repetitive conversations and powerful people. Don't get me wrong; I wasn't bored or anything...I had just simply forgotten what it was like to be a part o this world. And now all of a sudden I had been thrust right back into the centre of it and it was all just that little bit tiresome. And so I found myself in dire need of fresh air and had slipped out quietly into the night.

According to Arwen, a nobleman and warrior named Boromir had been making eyes at me all night but I was too uninterested to notice. Boromir _seemed_ nice and everything...but the way he puffed out his chest and wore his sword even at the feast showed his lust for power and greedy nature. I had always been very perceptive. As a child, my father would always say that nothing ever got past me and it was true. It wasn't that I was wary of everything; I just always picked up on little things that made a person, little hints and clues which made them who they are.

"I always _could_ find you out here whenever anything was on your mind..."

A familiar voice interrupted me and I smiled to myself knowing full well who tat velvet voice belonged to. I turned around in a flash and saw that the boy from my past had completely grown up. His golden hair was longer and looked like fine silk. His body was lean and muscular whilst his height was taller. But his eyes were the same. Those electric blue eyes would never change. They were always the thing I liked most about him.

Without a word, I practically ran up to him and wrapped my arms around his slender yet toned neck. He responded immediately by holding his strong arms around me and lifting me off my feet. I laughed as he twirled me around before setting me back down on my feet.

"Legolas," I sighed and ran a hand gently across his marble cheek "You have no idea how much I have missed you."

"Not nearly as much as I have missed you." He smiled and took my retreating hand in his own, his skin as soft as velvet. "I did not believe your Father when he told me that you had returned. I had come to believe that I would never see you again."

"Truth be told I didn't even know myself if I would or _could_ ever return...but I am glad I did. Everyone has been extremely welcoming...so far." I beamed.

"Especially Boromir, it would appear." Legolas did not look at me as he spoke but instead turned to look outwards over the gardens, leaning his body against the stone rail as he did so.

"Whatever do you mean?" I furrowed my brow in confusion.

"I could not help but notice he has been ogling you for the past hour...and he spoke to me shortly ago and asked if you were betrothed to anyone."

"Well he really is fighting a losing battle." I chuckled. "I have no interest in being betrothed to _anyone_ least of all a power hungry brute."

Legolas laughed aloud at that and I could not help but find myself lost in the sound of his laughter. I truly had missed him far too much in my absence. Before I left Rivendell, he and I had been the greatest of friends. I had known him since I was but an infant and we had grown up side by side. There was a time when I could have told him anything and vice versa. But after what happened...I could not speak to _anyone_. Leaving Legolas was one of the hardest things I had ever had to do...but it was necessary nonetheless.

"So," I began "how long have you had a seat at my Father's council?"

"Nearly thirty years now. My Father and your Father do not see eye to eye and therefore my Father asked me to take his seat on the council."

"What is their quarrel?" I knew our Fathers were never exactly the best of allies but they never had any serious qualms with one another.

"I do not know for sure. I have asked my Father on numerous occasions but he has avoided giving me a substantial answer. Whatever it is; it is enough to make them never wish to cross paths."

"So...what _is_ this meeting tomorrow concerning?" I thought I might see if Legolas would be any more revealing than my Father.

"Ah, I believe if I told you that; I would surely have to kill you." He looked at me seriously for a moment before smirking slightly. "I am sorry, Aurora. But the council have been sworn to secrecy. But do not fret, you shall find out soon enough."

"That's strange. I seem to remember a young boy and a young girl making a promise never to keep secrets from each other?" I joked and raised my eyebrow quizzically.

"They also promised they would never leave one another." Legolas whispered so quietly that I almost did not hear him.

"I-I" I tried to start.

"Why did you not say goodbye?" Legolas cut me off and turned to look at me. I could see the anger and betrayal that had been growing inside of him for almost a century. I despised myself for being the one to put it there. "You were everything to me...and then you were _gone_."

"I...I didn't know how to say goodbye to you." I feebly tried to find an explanation.

"So you just _left_? It has been almost a century since I have seen or even heard word from you. I did not know if you were even _alive_! You could not even write?" He seemed to be seething. I had never seen Legolas like this before and it scared me more than anything.

"And say what?" I tried to reason with him. "Would you _really_ have appreciated a letter saying 'Sorry I was too much of a coward to stay and face my problems'?"

"Better that than nothing at all!" We stayed in silence, glaring at each other. He had every right to be angry with me. I was simply glaring at my own reflection in his onyx pupils. Suddenly, Legolas sighed and placed his hands gently on my upper arms, his gaze softening. "What happened? What made you leave so suddenly? Was it because of what happened to Clai-"

"Please!" I interrupted him. "I...I _cannot_ talk about it."

Nearly a century had passed since Claire's death. I should have made peace with it by now. But the truth was I had not spoken about her passing even _once_. I was yet to endure the big epiphany which was necessary for me to finally accept her fate. I should have been ready for it by now. But it would seem that the longer these things were left unsaid; the harder they were to confront.

Legolas sighed disappointedly before lowering his arms and turning his back on me. I assumed he was about to leave but instead he resumed his position overlooking the gardens. I took in his attire and marvelled at his silver dress tunic and leggings. He truly had grown into a marvel...not that I could _ever_ see him in _that_ way.

"I tried to find you." My reverie was interrupted. "After I had reached my maturity, I was determined to track you. I was close at one point. I reached Rohan a day after you had left...but nobody knew where you had gone. I spent twenty years scouring the land in search of you." He turned back to face me. "I would not have tried to bring you home or tried to join you...I just wanted to see for myself that you were alright.

"For that was the worst part of this past century. Not knowing if you were hurt or even alive almost drove me to the brink of madness." He scrunched up his face in a confused manner and looked down at me. "I do not understand how you could do that to me?"

I rushed over to him and placed my hands on his smooth cheeks forcing the confused wrinkles to smooth over. "Not saying goodbye to you has haunted me every day since I left." I spoke honest words. "I too have spent every day wondering about you and what you were doing. I know that what I did – leaving without saying goodbye – was completely unforgiveable. But when I left...I was not in my right mind. My head was unclear and I was not the little girl that you grew up with. I went away to _find_ that little girl once more."

"I hope you found what you were looking for, Lady Aurora." Legolas spoke to me but did not look at me. He spoke in defeat and I felt the pain of one thousand daggers in the knowledge that I had made him act in such a manner. He gently removed my hands from his face and turned slightly towards the castle door. "We should return. I do believe the Feast will be laid out shortly." And with that he left me on the balcony to stew in my ever growing self loathing.


	2. The Right Path

Chapter Two: The Right Path

"Aurora! Aurora! Wake up!"

I found myself torn away from a peaceful sleep by a hushed whisper. I opened my eyes slowly to see my sister, Arwen standing over me and shaking my shoulders. Groggily, I glanced to the balcony in my room and saw that the moon was still high in the black night's sky and the air was still and un-awoken.

"Arwen? Whatever is the matter?" My slurred words proved just how abruptly my dreams had ended.

"Aurora I am scared. Aragorn and the hobbits were supposed to be here _days_ ago!" I sat up slowly and stretched as my sister retreated slightly from my bed. "I fear that something terrible has happened to them. What if the Nazgûl have caught up to them? What if Aragorn is de-"

"Arwen! You must not think like that." I snapped attempting to make her see sense. "Now, when were they supposed to arrive?"

"Three _days_ ago!" I could see the fear in Arwen's glossy eyes. "They were coming from The Shire! The route is direct; there is no need for delay. Aragorn _knows_ how important it is that they get here! He would not merely _dawdle_!" Tears escaped my sister's eyes and spilled down her porcelain cheeks.

"Do not cry, dearest Arwen." I pulled her to my chest and trapped her in a soothing embrace for a few moments before pulling back and looking her in the eye. As I wiped a fallen tear away from her skin with my thumb; it dawned o me what I had to do. "Go to the stables and ready two horses. I shall meet you there when the sun first begins to rise. And then you and I will ride until we find your beloved Aragorn and those little hobbits."

"Thank you." Arwen held me close. "You truly are the greatest sister I could have ever asked for." She smiled a small smile through her distress before backing into the shadows and disappearing into the night.

I made quick work of dressing myself appropriately in black riding leggings, black riding boots, a white tunic and a long light blue silk coat which fell to my ankles and had two slits which came up to my thigh and split the coat into three sections. The splits would make riding all the more easier. I let most of my hair fall in long loose waves but braided the first few sections behind my head to meet at the back of my hair in order to keep my hair off my face when riding. Deeming myself ready for the forthcoming journey, I then attended to other matters.

I filled the time by first obtaining weapons from the armoury; two swords, two bows and two daggers for me and my sister. I made sure that I picked the finest weapons that Rivendell had to offer. I accepted nothing less than the best. Then I gathered necessities such as food rations and gold coins should we need to rest at an inn one night. I knew my Father would most certainly notice his daughters' absences and so I wrote a detailed scroll of our journey and left it on the small table in the main entrance way to be found by whoever awoke first the next morning.

Arwen was the only person that could encourage me to take such rash actions. The look of sheer terror and woe in my sister's usually bright and optimistic eyes was enough to make any elf act recklessly and dangerously in order to make her happy once more. And so instantly I made up my mind to seat out in search for her beloved as soon as possible. Father would not allow it which was why we had to leave immediately; before he awoke. He would never allow Arwen and I to take this adventure on our own and would instead send out his guards to complete the task of locating Aragorn and the hobbits for us.

But I knew that in the days when the guards were away in search, Arwen's mind would grow deeper and deeper in sorrow and would create all sorts of twisted and malicious assumptions of her lover's fate. I could not bear to see my sister in any more despair than she already was.

Arwen had always been everything that I was not. She was light, honest, good and pure. She answered to the call of nature and cared for all things in Middle Earth. She had a heart so big it had space for everything and everyone. I was not envious or anything though. For no matter how brilliant Arwen was; beyond a few spells she had picked up over the years, she relied completely on men to protect and defend her. I had no doubt in my mind that if Claire had not died, I would have been the same as Arwen...but Claire _had_ died...and I had never been the same again.

Apart from personality differences, Arwen and I also looked nothing alike. I was a few inches smaller than her with lighter hair and a slimmer build. The one thing I hated about my body was my small frame. It made fighting just that little bit more difficult than it already was. If ever Arwen trained as a warrior, her broad build would make her a superb fighter. Arwen had pearly grey eyes whilst I had emerald green eyes. She had an oval face whilst my chin was slightly pointier and my jaw was more prominent. We were as different as could be...and that was why I loved her so.

After gathering all that was required, I headed over to the stables which were situated just left of the main gate of Rivendell castle. The first light of dawn gave Rivendell an eerie glow that shrouded over the stone structures. I found Arwen awaiting my arrival patiently with two white horses all saddled up and ready to go. She too had changed into riding boots and a long dark purple riding coat.

"Are you ready to go?" I asked her as I pulled on my leather fingerless gloves.

"Indeed. Are you sure you wish to go through with this? I will understand if you have changed your mind." She looked uncertain as she awaited my response.

"Arwen," I placed a hand on her forearm "I swear to you; we _will_ find Aragorn."

"Thank you," She smiled but the glow did not reach her still glistening eyes "People would not believe I am over one thousand years your senior...you are always taking care of me." She looked down solemnly. "It should be the other way around...Forgive me for my lack of guidance."

"You are the greatest elder sister anyone could ever ask for, Arwen." She looked up and I smiled at her, trying to show how sincere my words were. "You give me hope for a brighter future. You remind me every day that there is still good in the world. Never lose that." I rubbed her arm slightly and a slow genuine smile spread across her lips. "Now, let's go."

~x~

We had been riding for almost two days when we finally found a clue to the whereabouts of Aragorn and the hobbits. It came in the form of a piece of cloth torn from a traveller's clothing. Arwen instantly recognised the embroidery as being a part of Aragorn's cloak. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at her infatuation. She even recognised the scent of the cloth. If I ever grew that dependant on another; I would surely kill myself from embarrassment.

It was a few hours later that we heard them. The screams of hobbits echoed around the small forest like a battle horn. I turned on my horse and saw that Arwen was already racing in the direction of the screams. After a short while the screams stopped and our horses ran faster than ever. Either the enemy had fallen or the hobbits had been killed. We galloped for what seemed like hours but what was in fact mere moments until Arwen abruptly came to a halt and I almost crashed into the back of her horse.

"Arwen! You must not do that! I almost came off my horse!" I scolded her but she remained silent. "What is it?"

"The group is separated. I feel no danger to them but five wraiths grow closer and closer with each passing moment. They have disbanded. The hobbits are to the right and Aragorn is to the left." She slowed her words towards the end, torn between what was the right thing to do and what her heart was _begging_ her to do. I saw that they were one and the same.

"Go to him, Arwen. I will see to the hobbits." She did not need me to tell her twice. With a single glance of appreciation; she fled into the left of the forest, not looking back even once.

Not wanting to waste any valuable time, I hastily took off to the right. The trees whipped around me in the light of the rising sun until finally I stumbled upon a clearing. Three hobbits sat around another of their own who was lying on the cold stone floor. He had been injured. Badly by the look of him. His face had turned a pasty white and a thin sheen of sweat caressed his brow. His body quivered in shock from the pain as he came to terms with what had happened to him. I saw a small puncture would just below his left shoulder blade and knew instantly that he had been stabbed.

"Tell me, who did this to him?" All three uninjured hobbits jumped out of their skin when I interrupted the worrisome silence. They all looked at me for a moment, awestruck at my difference. I was used to this. I knew that to other races, elves were extremely beautiful to their untrained eyes. I was not flattered though. For in a race where only beauty exists; no one is beautiful.

"Are you here to hurt us?" A high pitched voice rang through the air as all three hobbits moved to stand in front of their wounded friend.

"Who are you?"Another hobbit squeaked out.

"I promise you; I am a friend." I made no move to get closer. I wanted them to trust me. "I have come from Rivendell in search of you and Aragorn. Your delayed arrival has caused worry and doubt throughout the council. My sister and I wished to prove their doubtful minds wrong."

"What's 'yer name?" The chubbier of the three hobbits finally spoke up.

"Forgive me; I am Lady Aurora of Rivendell, daughter of Lord Elrond." I bowed my head slightly in greeting. The hobbits looked at each other in confusion of my action before quickly doing the same. "Now tell me; who did this to your friend?"

"Dark Riders did it to 'im. Aragorn has gone to get some herbs to stable the wound but..." The chubby hobbit glanced back at his friend who lay dying on the ground "I don't think 'e can last much longer."

The Nazgûl did this to him. That meant that if the wound was not healed by elf magic; the hobbit would surely turn into a wraith. And by the looks of him, he did not have long left. The hobbits stepped back so I could see him and I saw that his small and frail body was writhing in pain. His harsh whimpers and quivering jaw signified his imminent death. I had seen this before. The black rings around his iris' showed that the transformation process had already begun. He would be dead within a day.

"Frodo," I turned to see that Arwen had emerged from the trees with a scruffy looking man by her side. The man was tall with shaggy brunette hair which was in much need of a wash and grubby skin. His worn attire had seen better days and his boots were almost worn down to the soul. His defined jaw was covered in stubble which added to the raw and unkempt look he was sporting. He was a total savage...and by the way he looked at my sister, I knew that Aragorn would have done anything she asked.

I quickly stepped out of the way in order to give my sister access to the young hobbit. Arwen had always been the healer of us four siblings. I had no doubt in my mind that she would one day take my father's place as the best healer in all the land. It was only a matter of time. Aragorn held an Athelas herb in his hands which he instantly tore to pieces, ready to sustain the wound. The herb would not cure the wound but it would keep him alive for at least another day.

"He's fading." Arwen pulled back the hobbit I now knew as Frodo's clothing and revealed the deep puncture wound in his skin which was already turning a purplish green colour due to the fast growing infection. "He's not going to last. We must get him to my father." That was all she needed to say to Aragorn who, without a word, followed her orders obediently and lifted Frodo from the ground and began carrying the dying hobbit to Arwen's horse. "We have been looking for you for two days. There are five wraiths behind you. Where the other four are; we do not know."

I turned away from my sister and her lover, sensing a private moment between the two, and turned to the hobbits. "Do not fear hobbits. I will ensure that your friend makes it to Rivendell safe and alive."

"Thank you, Milady." The chubby hobbit said.

"Please, call me Aurora." I smiled.

"Aurora? It is time we must go." Arwen spoke softly as she sat on her horse, holding onto Frodo who sat in front of her. I nodded to the hobbits in farewell before turning and marching to my own horse and pulling myself up onto the saddle.

"Ride hard," Aragorn instructed and we did not need telling twice. In a mere instant, our horses were galloping faster than any man could ever hope to travel.

"I must warn you," my sister shouted from behind my horse. "The wraiths will be following us closely. We need to defend Frodo with everything we have."

I did not reply. This would be the first time I would be able to use my warrior skills since my return to Rivendell. I could not help the small smile that crept upon my lips as the wind splashed across my face. My smile fell, however, as the air grew colder and the sound of several hammering hooves came into play.

I glance behind to see that indeed, five wraiths were closing in on us.

Determined to complete the task set before us, I turned slightly and emerged into a large open field which was illuminated by the now prominent sun. I heard my sister utter elf magic and instantly felt my horse run faster than it had moments before. We raced for what seemed like forever and all was going according to plan until I heard my sister scream my name.

I turned to see a wraith had almost taken Frodo, and the other wraiths were well on their way to catching up with my sister's horse. I needed to act fast...but what could I do? It was then, as I was mentally deliberating a course of action, that a glint of gold caught my eye. A ring was on a chain around Frodo's neck. And all of a sudden; it all made sense. Frodo was in possession of the ring of Sauron. The wraiths were after the _ring;_ not after the hobbit! I knew then what I had to do.

"Give me the ring!" I yelled at me sister as I slowed my horse in order to be closer to her. She did not question my decision and instantly pulled the chain from the now unconscious hobbit's neck. I reached back further and further, ever conscience of the rapidly approaching wraiths, and finally grasped the ring in my hand. Not stopping to think about it, I shoved the ring in my coat pocket and veered off from my sister before turning around and heading in the opposite direction, going back the way we had come.

I prayed that my plan had worked and turned slightly to see that it had. All five wraiths were now following me instead of my sister who could now get Frodo to Rivendell without the threat of the wraiths looming over her. Now what? If I could just get back to Aragorn; I knew we would have a fighting chance of repelling the wraiths if only for a little while. A little while was like a gift from the heavens when it came to wraiths.

Entering the forest once more, I whistled to the loudest of my ability, praying that Aragorn would hear me. I just needed a way to buy time until then. There was no chance I was getting off my horse and fighting the five wraiths _without_ a comrade. I saw a large branch sticking out over the path and smiled. I ducked under the branch and turned to see a wraith get knock off his horse, falling to the ground and being trampled all over by his fellow evil beings. There were definitely _some_ advantages to being small. One down, four to go.

If I could just find a way to stop one more wraith before Aragorn arrived. I knew that he and I could easily take on three wraiths. I looked at my surroundings, begging for another convenient branch but it was to no avail; it would appear that my luck had all but run out. I would have to do this manually.

Slowing slightly, I waited until the closest wraith was almost at my side before grabbing his black billowing cloak and attaching it to the bottom of my saddle. Then I sped off. The wraith was dragged off his horse and onto the ground, flailing its limbs as it was dragged across the rough ground of the forest, I then proceeded to unsheathe my sword from its place across my back and thrust the metal blade into the wraith's body which fell limp. It would not kill the wraith but it would be out of action for awhile.

I heard Aragorn before I saw him. The swing of his sword sliced through the air and clanged sharply as it came crashing down upon the wraith behind me. Now was time for _real_ fighting. Wasting no time, I swung one leg over the horse and dropped to the ground making sure I landed in my battle stance. Turning quickly to face my enemies, I quickly pulled out an arrow and instantly shot a wraith in the stomach. As it stumbled back slightly, I unsheathed my sword and ran towards the wraith making quick work of plunging the blade in the creature's stomach.

As the wraith fell, my eyes searched for Aragorn and I soon found him battling the two remaining wraiths. Eying my surroundings, I noticed the wraiths were standing beneath a large tree. I spared no time in jumping and climbing up the tree until I was standing directly above the fight. I once again pulled out my bow but this time I used three arrows at the same time. The blow hit one of the wraiths directly on its upper back. I dropped down from the branch, landing effortlessly on the uneven ground.

The one remaining wraith seemed to have remembered that it was in fact _I_ who had the ring and so it turned its back on Aragorn and instead stalked menacingly towards me. It thrust its sword in my direction but I dodged to the left just in time before clanging my own sword against the wraiths. We engaged in a deadly sword play which finally ended when our swords stuck and so I slid my blade off the wraiths and managed to deceive him into thrusting his sword one way while I dodged it and jabbed my blade in its stomach.

When the final wraith lay defeated, I walked over to where Aragorn was led and held out my hand which he took. I hoisted him up onto his feet before cleaning my blade on the grass and retrieving some fallen arrows.

"Your sister never told me that you had quite a talent with a sword, Lady Aurora." I turned back to see Aragorn staring at me in something in between confusion and awe. "Allow me to introduce myself formally. I am Ara-"

"Aragorn." I finished for him as I sheathed my sword diagonally across my back. "Son of Arathorn, heir to the throne of Gondor and lover of Lady Arwen of Rivendell." He looked taken aback by my vast knowledge of his person.

"How do you..." He began but cut himself short. "Ah, I should have known that Arwen would have informed you of everything. She speaks so highly of you." I smiled in grace "And now I can see for myself just why she thinks so well of you; you have been able to surprise even I with your hidden yet superb abilities as a warrior."

"Thank you, Aragorn. You are far too kind. But we must return to Rivendell at once. The wraiths will awaken soon and I should not like to be here when that occurs."

"Wait, how did you get the wraiths to follow you instead of Arwen?" Aragorn eyed me suspiciously.

"I took what they were searching for." I replied simply.

"You have the ring?" He asked incredulously.

"I have the ring."

~x~

Two _longs_ days later and I found myself back at the main gate of Rivendell. I had rode back to the castle with two of the hobbits named Meri and Pippin whilst Aragorn had rode behind me with the chubby little hobbit who called himself Sam. I was always fond of silent journeys...Meri and Pippin did not know the meaning of such a thing. But, as talkative as they were, they were good, kind and honest hobbits who had stumbled upon what would be their greatest adventure by complete chance.

They were simply out gathering crops when all of a sudden they were pulled along by Frodo and Sam. They seemed more than happy to be a part of this quest, _thrilled_ even. Little did they know that the object Frodo had been harbouring was the most powerful weapon in all the land. The little hobbits' lives would _never_ be the same again after having been in such close proximity to the ring. They were connected to this quest now, even if they did not fully understand it yet. The ring had seen them; there was no going back.

Now that I knew that this urgent meeting concerned the ring of Sauron, I was adamant to attend the council. This was not merely a war. This ring could cause the destruction of all life as we knew it. All races would succumb to the will of darkness. Blood would run in the streets before all civilisation was completely destroyed. My Father had battled in the first war of the ring; the battle of Dagorlad. He had begged Isildur to throw the One Ring into the fiery pits of Mount Doom but Isildur had been overthrown by the power of the One Ring and so he refused to destroy it.

Now the One Ring was back in the council's possession. I had no doubt in my mind that they would agree that the ring would need to be destroyed. The only way possible to destroy the ring was to burn it in the fires of Mount Doom situated at the heart of Mordor. It would be a quest near impossible to complete and there would be no doubt that many lives would be lost along the way. So who would take the ring? Who could even be _trusted_ with the ring? The One Ring had a way of driving people insane with lust for power. The ring _wanted_ to forfil its purpose and destroy the world and therefore it used those around it to its own advantage by manipulating even the strongest of minds.

"Milady!" Sariandi was the first face we encountered after the gates had been open. "Your Father wishes to speak with you. I must warn you; he is not in the greatest state of mind." I knew my Father would want to have stern words with me as soon as I returned. I was dreading this particular confrontation to say the least.

"Thank you, Sariandi. Please, take these hobbits to see their friend and take the horse back to the stable. I shall go and see my Father right away." It was best to get this conversation over and done with. The longer I waited; the harder it would be. I said my goodbyes to Meri and Pippin before heading over through the castle to my Father's study. I arrived at the oak door in record time and inhaled deeply, mentally preparing myself for what was to come, and knocked on the door three times.

"You may enter, Aurora." My Father's voice was stern and commanding. I knew that this conversation was not going to be enjoyable. I pushed open the door slowly and entered the study. He was glaring at me from the centre of the room

"Father, before you begin I want to tell you tha-" I tried.

"How could you be so _reckless?_!" He seethed and I recoiled. "_You_ may be trained as an elite warrior but your sister, however, is _not_! She may be the elder sister, but it is _you_ who she looks up to. Just because she adores you, does not mean you can take advantage of her kindness and lead her astray!"

Arwen had always been the 'good' daughter. She followed all the rules, did as she was told and would never even _dream_ of running away for just shy of a century. Even as a child, I was never like that. I was always seeking adventure. I gained exhilaration at the thought of bending the rules; dancing along the line between what was right and what was wrong. As I had said previously, I did not begrudge my _sister_ for it one bit.

"Ada? Why can you not see that I am _not_ my sister?!" I locked my jaw, determined not to allow the tears in my eyes to spill over. "You have chosen a magnificent path for her to follow but I do not understand why you believe that I must follow in her footsteps? There are _other_ ways I wish to live my life!"

"When these 'other ways' include risking both yours and your sister's life, how can you expect me to condone it? How can you expect me to even _tolerate_ your reckless and naive lifestyle choice? Let alone _accept_ it!"

"I am not _happy_ here, Father!" I sighed and took a few steps closer to him, softening my voice. "Can you not see? If I am to live a life kept safe behind Rivendell's gates them I am to live a life made out of misery and despair."

"You have not stepped foot in Rivendell in almost a century. How can you grow tiresome of it already?" His tone had too, quietened.

"I do not grow tiresome of Rivendell at all. It will always remain my home and my favourite place in the whole of the land...but I was not born to spend the rest of my life here as a noblewoman. I was born to fight for Rivendell's freedom." I spoke my honest thoughts.

"Aurora," my Father pinched the bridge of his nose in thought "I cannot and _will_ not allow you to fight in the battles of men."

"And I do not ask that of you, Father. I simply ask you to allow me to fight my _own_ battles whatever they may be." I place my hand on his shoulder and he looked me in the eye. "Ada, I love you...and I wish that I was the daughter you want me to be but the truth is I am not. Instead I am an elf who wishes to fight for what she believes in; to fight for the good in the world that you remind me of each and every day.

"My dearest Aurora," My father placed his hand over mine warmly and smiled wistfully "you _are_ the daughter I want you to be. In fact, you remind me so very much of myself when I was your age. You have a passion for life and for the protection of the people around you. How could I ask for anything more of a daughter?"

"Then please, allow me to carve my own path in this world."

"Allow me to deliberate the issue for awhile. I will review the situation soon." He patted my hand and I beamed at him. It wasn't quite the answer I wanted but it was _much_ better than what I expected. "Now, we have a council to attend."

"What do you mean by 'we'?" I furrowed my brow in confusion.

"Aragorn has requested your presence at the council meeting; it will commence shortly."


	3. The Fellowship Of The Ring

Chapter Three: The Fellowship of the Ring

"Strangers from distant lands, friends of old; you have been summoned here to answer the threat of Mordor." My Father's authority pulsated in his voice as the council sat and listened o his words patiently. "Middle Earth stands upon the brink of destruction. None can escape it. You will unite, or you will fall. Each race is bound to this fate; this one doom."

I sat on my Father's left hand side next to Aragorn. I still had no clue as to why I had been summoned to the meeting and I was eager to find out. The council were already seated when my Father and I arrived and so I did not get to speak with Aragorn. Gandalf the Grey was also in attendance and he blessed me with a wise smile. I had met Gandalf on my travels and he had taught me many valuable lifelong lessons. Legolas was seated across from me and was surrounded by other elves of Mirkwood. He had not even so much as _glanced_ in my direction.

"Bring forth the Ring, Frodo." My Father commanded. The air seemed to grow thick with tension as the young and now fully healed hobbit arose from his seat beside Gandalf and hesitantly stepped towards the flat tree stump in the middle of the circle. I heard many gasps as he reached out his hand and placed the single circular Ring onto the smooth flat surface before returning to his seat.

"So it is true," The man I knew to be Boromir whispered under his breath and blinked several times as though the Ring would vanish right before his eyes. I saw the rest of the circle recoiling slightly at the power of the ring as though it were about to transform into some unbeatable horror.

"In a dream..." Everyone eyes Boromir suspiciously as he rose from his seat, his greedy eyes fixed on the Ring "I saw the Eastern sky grow dark but in the West, a pale light lingered. A voice was crying 'Your doom is near at hand, Isildur's bane is found.'." Everyone rose higher in their seats as Boromir reached for the Ring. "Isildur's bane..." He trailed off and just as he was about to touch the ring, Gandalf and my Father stood from their seats and the air became grey and hostile.

"Ash Nazg Durbatuluk, Ash Nazg Gimbatul, Ash Nazg Thrakatuluk, Agh Burzum-ishi Krimpatul!" Gandalf spoke the ancient words scripted on the Ring as Boromir shrank back down in his seat in fear.

"Never before has anyone dared utter words of that tongue here, in Imladris." My Father held a hand to his head in shame before glaring at Gandalf.

"I do not ask for pardon, Master Elrond." My Father sat down and continued to stare at the ring as Gandalf addressed the council. "For the Black Speech of Mordor may yet be heard in every corner of the West! The Ring is altogether evil." Gandalf finished and turned to sit back down.

"It is a gift." Boromir nodded in agreement with his own statement as he stood up and moved to pace around the inner circle. "A gift to the foes of Mordor. Why not use this ring?" He looked around, trying to gain support from the council. "Long has my father, the Steward of Gondor, kept the forces of Mordor at bay. By the blood of _our_ people are your lands kept safe. Give Gondor the weapon of the enemy. Let us use it against him!"

"You cannot wield it." Aragorn spoke up for the first time and countered Boromir's naive little speech. "None of us can. The One Ring answers to Sauron alone. It has no other master."

"And what would a Ranger know of this matter?" Boromir scoffed and look down upon Aragorn like he was the muck on his boots.

"This is no mere Ranger." Legolas stood to protest his defence. This shocked me. I had no idea that Legolas and Aragorn even _knew_ each other, let alone that they were _friends_. "He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance."

"Aragorn?" Boromir eyed the Ranger incredulously. "_This_ is Isildur's heir?"

"And heir to the throne of Gondor." Legolas stated bluntly knowing that Boromir would have something to say about _that_. Aragorn told Legolas to sit down but he did it in Elvish tongue which once more surprised me. How did Aragorn speak fluent Elvish?

"Gondor has no King." Boromir practically _spat _the words at Legolas before turning on his heel and taking a seat. But not before looking directly at Aragorn and adding "Gondor needs no King."

"Aragorn is right." Gandalf agreed. "We cannot use it."

"You have only one choice," My Father arose from his seat to address the council "The Ring must be destroyed." Everyone eyed the Ring once more and the Ring's power seemed to create a presence in the air.

"What are we waiting for?" A ginger haired dwarf spoke in a gruff accent before grabbing the large fighting axe beside him and marching towards the Ring. He slammed the blunt side onto the ring but the affect was the opposite of what he had hoped. The dwarf yelled as his axe was shattered into pieces by the force of the Ring which remained unharmed and untarnished on the tree stump. The dwarf was thrown onto the ground by the power of the Ring alone and I noticed young Frodo flinch and hold his hand to his head.

"The Ring cannot be destroyed, Gimli, son of Glóin, by any craft that we here posess." My Father spoke as though the fact was obvious. "The Ring was made in the fires of Mount Doom. Only there can it be unmade. It must be taken deep into Mordor and cast back into the fiery chasm from whence it came." My Father looked around as the council all mentally deliberated his words. "One of you must do this."

"One does not simply walk into Mordor." Boromir said as though the idea alone was utterly ridiculous. "Its black gates are guarded by more than just Orcs. There is evil there that does not sleep. The Great Eye" he made a ring shape with his hand "is ever watchful. It is a barren wasteland riddled with fire and ash and dust. The very air you breathe is a poisonous fume." He shook his head in doubt. "Not with ten thousand men could you do this. It is folly."

"Have you heard nothing Lord Elrond has said?" Legolas stood and questioned Boromir. "The Ring _must_ be destroyed!"

"And I suppose _you_ think you are the one to do it?" The dwarf I now knew to be Gimli cocked his head and ridiculed the idea of Legolas destroying the Ring.

"And if we fail; what then?" Boromir stood once more and yelled his point. "What if Sauron takes back what is his?"

"I will be _dead_ before I see the Ring in the hands of an _Elf_!" Gimli continued his assault of Legolas and I do admit, I had to suppress a smirk at the idea of Legolas be hated by someone one third of his size. Gimli's comment caused the other Elves to arise and defend their kin which led to the other dwarves doing the same. Soon the whole council stood arguing apart from my Father, Frodo, Aragorn and myself. Even _Gandalf, _the _wise_ wizard, had joined in the bickering.

"Are council meetings _always_ like this?" I whispered to Aragorn who chuckled.

"_Always_."

Through the verbal fights and private conversations, no one noticed that Frodo had too arisen from his seat. "I will take the Ring to Mordor." _That_ silenced the entire council. At first I wanted to laugh out loud at the thought of a _hobbit_ completing this impossible task...but then I saw the look on Frodo's face. It was a look of sheer determination, utter commitment and complete focus. It was a look that I saw on my own face whenever a new adventure was sighted upon the horizon. I saw Gandalf close his eyes slowly before turning to face Frodo. I knew that this was not the path he wanted for the young hobbit. "Though...I do not know the way."

"I will help you bear this burden, Frodo Baggins," Gandalf walked over to sand at Frodo's side "as long as it is yours to bear."

"If by my life or death, I can protect you..." Aragorn stood beside me and walked over to join Frodo and Gandalf "I will." He leaned down to Frodo's eye level. "You have my sword."

"And you have my bow." Legolas too joined the three. I smiled at his ever constant bravery.

"And _my_ axe." Gimli followed Legolas who rolled his eyes. I suppressed a laugh.

Everyone watched in unsure anticipation as Boromir arose from his seat and treated steadily towards the group. "You carry the fate of us all, little one. If this is indeed the will of the council then Gondor will see it done." The human smiled at Frodo as he stood with the other volunteers.

"Here!"

A sudden high pitched voice sounded from beyond the circle and everyone tilted there heads to see the little hobbit named Sam emerge from behind a plant and stand beside Frodo. "Mister Frodo's not goin' anywhere without me." He folded his arms as though defending his case.

"Indeed, it is hardly possible to separate you." My Father joked. "Even when _he_ is summoned to a secret council and _you_ are not..." Sam looked down in embarrassment but I knew my Father did not really mind.

"Oi! We're coming too!"

The look of shock on my Father's face caused me to stifle a giggle as the two remaining hobbits ran out from their hiding places and into the circle with their friends. "You'll have to send us home tied up in a sack to stop us." Meri added.

"Anyway," Pippin began and I knew his opinion would be comical at least "you need people of intelligence on this sort of...mission...quest...thing." I was right.

"Well that rules out _you_, Pip!" Meri scolded playfully.

"Nine companions..." My Father began.

"Ten," Aragorn stated bluntly.

"No, Aragorn...there are definitely _nine_ of us." Pippin stated as though Aragorn had simply miscounted.

"Nine of us are _standing_ but a tenth and final companion remains seated." Everyone looked around including I for who this secret tenth member might be. "Two days ago, I witnessed the best sword fighting I have ever seen...and that includes myself." He chuckled. "I believe with you on our side, we cannot fail...Lady Aurora of Rivendell."

Suddenly the entire council were looking at _me_. Really _looking_ at me as though Aragorn was having some kind of a joke. My facial expression must have been a picture of shock, despair and complete humour. Gandalf, Aragorn and the four hobbits were smiling at me but everyone else looked downright bewildered. Except for my Father...no, he just looked completely _furious_.

"My daughter will _not_ accompany you on your quest. It is non-negotiable." My Father spoke with a finality tone but Aragorn was not backing down so easily.

"Why? Do you believe we will fail our mission, Lord Elrond?"

"Well...now, I-I..." My Father struggled to find his words. "You do not _need_ my daughter. You have five of the greatest warriors in the land on your side. Warriors with more strength than she could ever have!"

"Though she may lack the strength we possess, her skill with a blade is second to none. You should be proud of your daughter's accomplishments, Lord Elrond. She is the only woman I have ever encountered who would have a great chance of killing me in a fight."

"But-but!" My Father had run out of plausible reasons.

"I wonder what Lady Aurora has to say about this?" Gandalf smiled at me in encouragement as all the eyes of the council once again fell upon me.

"I-I..." I began shakily. I glanced at my Father who was begging me with his eyes alone to reject the idea. "I could not think of a greater honour than to be chosen to defend you, Frodo Baggins." Aragorn was about to say something in victory but I silenced him with a single wave of my hand. "But I must still respect my Father's wishes and that is why I will accompany you as far the black gates of Mordor and then I shall return." My Father opened his mouth to protest. "Ada, remember our conversation on this very morn? This is the battle I choose and yet I will not fight the grand finale. Instead I only ask to defend Frodo on his journey."

My father paced a few time deliberating the situation in his head before finally stopping before me. "You may go. But you are to go no further than Rohan. Is this understood?" I nodded. "Then you may take your place with the rest of your comrades." I quickly stood between Gandalf and Aragorn.

"_Ten _companions..." My Father addressed us all. "So be it. You shall be the Fellowship of the Ring."

"Great," Pippin remarked "Where are we going?"

~x~

We were to leave first thing the next morning with instructions to travel light and get a good night's rest. That night, a small feast would be held in order to honour the beginning of our journey and to give others a chance to wish us well. The feast would not last long; of course as we all required a long and undisturbed sleep in order to be ready for the beginning of our journey the following day.

I still could not believe that I was to be a part of this marvellous adventure. I was rather upset that I would not be accompanying the rest of the Fellowship to the end of the quest but I knew that the only way I could be a part of this journey was if I sacrificed a part of my adventure in order to keep my Father from dying of worry. My Father had spoken to me immediately after the council meeting was adjourned and had stated his rules:

No reckless behaviour

No reckless behaviour

No reckless behaviour

It was his only rule. I wasn't exactly sure that I could keep to it but I knew better than to say anything. I knew how hard it was for my Father to allow me to go on this adventure. Every now and again I would catch him looking at me as though it would be the last time he ever saw me. I had taken him aside and told him that I _had_ to do this. If I did not, I would regret it for the rest of my existence. And I would be travelling with five of the best warriors in the land; I was hardly unprotected.

I was currently getting ready for the feast. My dress was long and flowing and was a pale blue shade with silver lining. The sleeves were long and tight to my arms and the dress had a square neck line. My hair was down in its natural ringlets. My thick hair now fell past my elbows. I placed a silver circlet around my forehead and deemed myself ready just as a soft tap was heard on my door.

"Come in," I called to my visitor and turned to see my sister standing in my doorway. "Arwen! I am assuming you have heard the news?" I beamed at her but my smile faltered when a single tear ran down her cheek. "Sister? Whatever is the matter?"

"How can you ask me that, Aurora? Tomorrow, my sister and the man I love will be setting off on a journey of such peril and danger." She ran forward and took me into her arms where she held me tightly. "Promise me that you will return; I could not bear being without you for an eternity. These past hundred years have been nearly empty and cold without you in my days."

"I promise I will return..." I pulled back. "And so will Aragorn. And when he does, he will be crowned King of Gondor and you will be the most beautiful Queen that Arda has even seen." I stroked a loose strand of her dark and smooth hair. "Now, dry those tears, dear sister. We have a feast to attend."

"Go ahead without me. I will be down shortly." She smiled through her glistening tears.

"Are you sure you are going to be alright?" I asked, worry laced in my voice.

"I am sure. Now _go!"_ She pushed me towards the door playfully. "Enjoy your last night as a carefree Lady of Rivendell."

I nodded before following her orders and heading out of my room and down the corridor. I would miss Arwen terribly so. It did not seem fair that I had only been back less than one week and now I was to leave again. I knew that Arwen wished that she could also attend; I could see it in her eyes. But unlike me, Rivendell was where she _belonged_. She would not know how to survive in the harsh lands of Arda beyond the castle gates.

I entered the Great Hall and greeted the few guests in attendance but I did not engage in heavy conversation. My eyes darted around the room looking for a certain individual. I had come to the conclusion that if I was to go on this journey, I would have to make amends with Legolas. We were about to set off on a great adventure together and I did not want our quarrel hanging over us like a stormy cloud. Plus, I had missed him unbelievably so these past years. He was my best friend in the whole land and I felt _awful_ for leaving him the way I did. I would not rest until I had made amends.

I finally caught a glimpse of his golden hair and sighed at his appearance. He truly was a marvel to look at. His porcelain skin was infallible and he sported the bone structure that any God would be envious of. His body was toned yet lean and his eyes were the most dazzling blue I had ever seen. But as I had said before; I could never see Legolas in _that_ way.

But I could still appreciate his heavenly appearance.

"Legolas, I wish to speak with you...privately." I spoke softly in his ear when I had plucked up the courage to go over to him. He had not seen me approach him and so when he turned around, his face was filled with shock and confusion.

"Of course, Lady Aurora." I hated how formal he was being. "Excuse me," he spoke to the Elves he was speaking with before turning and leading me out onto the balcony..._our_ balcony. As soon as we were outside and the door was closed, he turned to me; his face void of any emotion. "What is it you wish to speak with me about, Lady Aurora?"

"Tomorrow you and I are to embark on a long and testing journey. I do not wish for this ill feeling you have of me to hang over our heads." I took a step closer but he still refused to look me directly in the eye. "Legolas, I am truly sorry that I ever left you. I thought of you each and every day that I was gone and I knew I was cruel and wicked to leave you without saying goodbye. I will regret it every single day of my life to come." Again, I stepped closer and this time, I took his face in my hands, forcing his electric blue eyes to lock onto mine. "Please forgive me, Legolas. I cannot bear this rift between us."

"That is how I felt the first fifteen years of your absence." He said tonelessly. "You get used to it, I assure you." He stepped back and my hands fell to my sides but I was not finished.

"I do not _want_ to get used to it! Legolas, to me you are _still_ my greatest friend. Even if you do not feel the same that fact will never change. I am not asking you to go back to the way we were. I am simply asking you to not look at me like you do not know me at all. The pain is unbearable."

"But I do not know you at all, Aurora. I knew you as a child. I do not know you as an adult."

"Do not be folly." I scolded him. "You were just about to reach your maturity when I left and I was not close behind you." My voice softened once more. "Do you really hate me _that_ much for leaving?" My eyes glistened with unshed tears.

He was silent for a moment before looking into my eyes. "I could never hate you, Aurora. You are a part of me." He held a hand to my cheek. "I apologize for my actions these past few days."

"You have _nothing_ to apologize for. It is _I_ who caused this distance between us, not you, Legolas." I tilted my head into his hand and revelled in the feel of his thumb gently caressing my skin.

"That maybe so; but it was _I_ who made your return more difficult that it needed be. Truth be told, I have never been happier than when I saw you on the balcony two nights ago."

"What are your feelings towards me being a member of the Fellowship?" I asked, anxious for his honest response.

"You will laugh." He gave him a confused look. "I knew that Aragorn was going to insist that you come along no matter who bore the Ring. I was annoyed at myself for being happy due to you being a companion." He smiled slightly.

"Well, I for one am extremely happy that you are a member of the fellowship," I nodded.

"Oh really?" He asked.

"Indeed. Who else am I going to beat in every single archery contest we hold?" I joked, knowing full well that he was the best archer in all the land.

"I shall believe that when I see it." Legolas quipped and chuckled, his golden hair shaking slightly in the gentle breeze.

"So am I forgiven?" I asked, wanting to confirm our relationship.

"Dearest Aurora," He held my hands in his "I forgave you the moment I saw you."

"I have missed you terribly, Legolas." I looked deep into those crystal blue eyes, lost in them for a few moments. "We should return; I am sure Gandalf wishes to address us all."

"Indeed." He looked down as though disappointed for a split second before dropping my hands and holding the door open, gesturing me to walk through it. As soon as we were both through the door, I saw my Father stalk over and mentally groaned. Was he going to try and talk me out of this great adventure _again_?

"Legolas, I wish to speak with you in my study for a moment." My Father ushered.

"Of course, Lord Elrond." Legolas turned to smile at me before following after my father. I pondered the subject of their conversation for only a mere moment before shrugging and returning to the feast.

~x~

The next morning, the fellowship and I had gathered in the courtyard in front of the main gate, ready to set off on our impossible quest. The whole population of Rivendell had gathered before us to bid us good fortune and farewell. Arwen's eyes were locked onto Aragorn's the entire time. My Father joined the congregation eventually and he left us with parting words.

"The ring bearer is setting out on a quest to Mount Doom. For you who travel with him, no oath nor bond is laid to travel further. Farwell; I hold you to your purpose. May the blessings of Elves and Men and Dwarf folk be with you." He looked at me last and I knew that he was talking especially to me.

"The Fellowship awaits the Ring bearer." Gandalf's booming voice echoed throughout the courtyard and we all looked to Frodo who slowly turned away from my father and headed to the main gate. Gandalf walked behind Frodo and was then followed by the hobbits, Gimli, Boromir, Legolas, myself and finally, Aragorn who spared one last glance for Arwen before following the Fellowship.

And so our journey began.


	4. The Journey Begins

Chapter Four: The Journey Begins

We were to hold the course just west of the Misty Mountains for forty days. Then, if our luck held, the Gap of Rohan would be open by the time we arrived. It would be there that I would disband from the rest of the Fellowship as they went on to take the east road to Mordor. It had been decided that I would spend however long it took to complete their quest residing in Rohan. It was I who proposed the idea; the thought of waiting as far as Rivendell to hear news of their journey. Whether they failed or succeeded; I wanted to be the first to know.

The sun was setting over our first day of travelling when Gandalf suggested we set up camp for the night. The wise wizard had led us to a small forest with a refreshing river running through it. We had pitched our tents in a small clearing by the water and Boromir had created a large fire pit. The hobbits shared a tent, as did Boromir and Aragorn as well as Gandalf and Gimli. Legolas and I would be sharing a tent also but I did not mind one bit; it was not as though we were going to be doing anything _other_ than sleeping.

Currently, I was sat before the fire that Boromir had made, warming my hands against the warmth of the burning orange flame. Gandalf sat beside me, smoking his pipe whilst the hobbits, Boromir and Aragorn practiced swords play a few feet away. Gimli had retired to his bed already and Legolas was 'keeping watch' somewhere even though Gandalf had told him that there was no need. Frodo's sword would inform us if any Orcs were nearby glowing blue and Legolas should be using the time to rest in order to prepare for the long journey ahead of him.

Legolas and I had been inseparable throughout the day's journey. It almost felt as though we were back to how we were before I left...before I ruined everything. We had laughed and joked all day long, attempting to keep spirits high within the Fellowship by putting a smile on everyone's faces. I even got _Gimli_ to crack a smile at one point and since he thought I was near useless, I took great pride in that accomplishment. But even though all _seemed_ to be patched up between Legolas and I, I knew that he was still slightly weary of me. It was in the way that I would catch him staring at me with an unrecognisable expression on his face. It devastated me.

"Aurora! Perhaps _you_ would like to show these young hobbits how to handle a blade?" Aragorn shouted over to me.

"It would be my pleasure." I smiled and stood from my previous position. "Aragorn, if you would be so kind as to be my opponent in a demonstration?"

"Of course, _Milady_." He said my title with playful sarcasm as I walked over to the group. I stopped when I was a few feet away from him and bowed my head slightly before raising my sword. Aragorn copied my actions until the tips of our swords ran parallel with one another.

"On the count of three." Boromir established himself as the referee. "One...Two..._Three!"_

As the word escaped Boromir's lips, Aragorn instantly thrust his sword forward. But instead of meeting his sword with my own like he would have expected, I took a large step backwards so that his blade could not reach me which caused Aragorn to stumble forward slightly at the lack of expected support. I wasted no time in leaping behind him, pulling his body back so it was flush against mine and pressing my blade to his bare and unprotected throat.

"Remember hobbits; never do what your enemy would expect." I released Aragorn from my hold and pushed him away. "With the element of surprise on your side; it will be difficult to lose any battle."

"My, my, my, Lady Aurora." Boromir applauded slowly. "I am ashamed to admit that until now, I did not truly believe the tales that Aragorn told of your skill with a blade. But now I see that he was right after all; your skill is indeed of an extremely high standard. I wonder if, one night, you would give me the honour of duelling against _me_?"

"One night, yes." Gandalf's wise voice cut in and I saw that he had left his position by the fire and was walking towards his tent. "But now it is time I think we should all retire. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow and we shall need our rest."

"Of course, Gandalf." Aragorn agreed. "Goodnight to you all."

"And to you, Aragorn." I said, suppressing a yawn as I walked towards my tent which was the furthest one on the left. "And to all of you." I was just about to enter my tent when I remembered that Legolas was still keeping watch by the waterfall which was separated from the clearing by a small group of trees. I decided to fetch him; I knew I would have to convince him o leave his post but I did not wish to see him weary eyed and tired the next day just because of his paranoia. We Elves had an excellent sense of danger. Should any enemy encroach within two miles of our location; we would know.

And so I found myself wandering beneath the trees towards the sound of the falling water. The only light by the water fall was that of the moon reflecting upon the water' surface but that did not bother me. Elves had excellent vision even in the darkest of places. The water shone beautifully in the moonlight and the gentle ripples seemed to create a sense of peace and purity in the air surrounding it.

He was facing away from me, standing as still as every good warrior could. His hands were by his sides and were empty, but I knew that before an instant's notice, he could have his bow ready to fire in a speedy blur of movement. His long smooth golden hair had an odd blue shine to it as the light bounced off each individual strand and his green tunic and leggings seemed void of colour. With my keen eyesight, I could tell by the indents is boots made in the grass; he had been standing still for at least a few hours.

"Legolas, you should really retire. You have been standing guard all evening." He did not turn or even flinch in surprise as I spoke. I knew he had known I was there all along.

"We cannot all rest and leave the camp unguarded." His voice was soft and sure.

"You and I both know that if danger draws close we will both sense it immediately." I stepped beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You must rest, Legolas. You must gather your strength for tomorrow's journey."

"It is too dangerous. Anything could happen." He remained still, looking out over the waters.

"And if anything does happen; you and I shall know before anyone else even in our slumber." I sighed and stood in front of him so he had no choice than to look at me. "If you do not rest, you will be weak and will be easily defeated. Please do not make me worry about your wellbeing."

"You are right. I am sorry for acting in such a manner; I am just cautious of the secrecy of this quest." He admitted.

"As are we all. But our quest is to protect the ring bearer. You cannot do this without rest." I patted his shoulder once before walking back towards the camp. "Now come along. And make sure you keep to yourself, Greenleaf." I turned back and winked as Legolas chuckled lightly before following me back to our tent.

~x~

When I awoke, I instantly felt different. I did not open my eyes as I sensed no danger, but I shifted my body slightly and felt the presence of an unfamiliar weight pressing across my body. I was led on my side and the weight was pressing across the side of my waist and down across my stomach. I pondered over what it was for a moment before also realising that there was a strange wall of warmth positioned directly behind me that seemed to cover my entire back. I was not exactly complaining; the warmth was luxurious against my skin...but what could it be?

I opened my eyes and instantly squeezed them shut again, my eyes drowning in the bright sunshine that shone through the thin material of the tent. Trying again, I slowly opened my eyes once more and gradually allowed my pupils get used to the sudden change. The cream colour of the tent seemed to magnify the light inside the tent. Everything inside the tent had a yellow tinge to it which looked strange and unfamiliar.

It was then that I looked to my stomach and saw that an arm was draped over it. The arm was wrapped around my waist in a protective yet comforting hold. I turned slowly in the unknown embrace to see Legolas' sleeping body pressed closely against my own; his arm wrapped around my waist. Well, _this_ was unusual. I traced my memory of the previous night and could not remember ever being in this position before we fell asleep. Legolas and I had simply laid down (a platonic distance away from each other), bid each other a good night and simply drifted away to sleep.

So then how was I was now curled into his body and he was holding me in his arms? I t must have happened subconsciously while we were sleeping. The air was cold after all. Maybe our sleeping forms simply pulled towards the nearest source of warmth which just so happened to be each other. Whatever the case; it was morning now. I knew that I had to get myself out of Legolas' arms before Gimli stuck his head in our tent to wake us up and got the completely wrong impression.

Slowly, as not to wake my slumbering companion, I slid out from underneath Legolas' arm and slowly arose from my position. I immediately felt the cool chill of the air caress my back and I found myself missing the heat provided by Legolas' sleeping form. Nevertheless, I made quick yet stealthy work of vacating the tent.

As I emerged into the clearing, I saw that the fire from the previous night had all but gone out with only a few wisps of smoke to signify its former life. The still air and early sun informed me that none of my other companions were awake yet and so I decided to take this opportunity and bathe myself privately. I knew that on a quest with nine men, these rare moments of privacy would be much appreciated.

My bare feet treaded along the uneven path through the trees towards the waterfall but I felt no pain or discomfort. We Elves had naturally tough skin and extremely high pain thresholds. Once I had arrived at the pool of water below the waterfall; I speedily undressed behind a large rock and jumped into the water. I swam close to where the water hit the pool so that if anyone came obliviously wandering by; they would not be able to see my naked body through the water. I stood directly below the waterfall, relishing in the cleansing force of the water before washing my body.

After I had bathed, I swam back to where I had placed my clothes and redressed in my dark brown leggings, white fitted shirt with a feminine tunic over it. The tunic formed a dark blue corset over the shirt and the hem came to my mid thigh. The material had many slits in it which would allow me to move freely when fighting but would still protect my modesty. It was the most feminine warrior attire I could find. On my feet I wore simple leather shoe boots that were practical and comfortable in any situation. I had left my dark blue cloak back in the tent.

As I headed back to the camp, I heard the gruff morning voices of my fellow companions and when I emerged from the trees, I saw that Gimli, Gandalf and Aragorn were awake and already packing the one horse we had brought along with us on our journey.

"Ah, good." Gimli nodded in my direction. "S'bout time. You can make us our breakfast."

"Excuse me?" I raised my eyebrows but the dwarf was not looking. He didn't appear to have noticed how offended I was by his demand. "I have never cooked in my life and I do not intend to begin by cooking for a socially inept dwarf."

"That was indeed very rude of you, Gimli." Gandalf scolded the dwarf. "Just because Lady Aurora is a woman, she is not automatically the resident cook of the Fellowship. We shall take the cooking duties in turns."

"That's not necessary, Master Gandalf!" Sam popped out of his tent and came running towards the camp fire where we all stood. "I am happy to be the...err...'resident' cook. It's not like I'm doing much good anywhere else."

"That is not true, Samwise Gamgee. Your evergreen support of Frodo is necessary to this quest." Sam did not look convinced. "But if you wish to feed all these hungry stomachs; I do not believe that anyone will object." A smile spread over Sam's face the size of the sun.

"Great! I'll get to work right away!" Sam was obviously extremely happy to feel needed on the quest. Being the resident cook clearly made him feel necessary to the journey.

"We should leave shortly; I do not wish to remain in one place any longer than necessary." Aragorn voiced his opinion.

"I agree." I seconded his motion. "The longer we stay here; the longer Saruman has to close in on our location." It still felt odd speaking of Saruman as the enemy. He had taught me at my extended stay at Isengard in my absence from Rivendell. He had always been kind and understanding. It was a shame he was acting so evil out of pure fear alone.

"Then we should leave as soon as possible." Legolas appeared beside me, fully clothed and washed. How did he do that? He saw me looking at him and gave me a small smile.

"Then it is agreed." Gandalf confirmed. "We leave immediately."

~x~

Later on that day, we found ourselves journeying over large rocky hills and vast low mountains. We had decided to stop for lunch on the side of a particularly rocky hill. Sam had already begun cooking whilst the other hobbits and Boromir continued their sword practice. I was seated away from the group out of my own choice. Gandalf, who was once again sat smoking his pipe, had gifted me with a book on the history of Arda and I was eager to learn all I could. Being a warrior meant fighting for your country. I intended to know _exactly_ what it was I was fighting for.

"If anyone was to ask for my opinion, which I note they're not..." Gimli wandered over to Gandalf, "I'd say we were taking the _long_ way 'round. Gandalf, we could pass through the Mines of Moria. My cousin Balin would give us a royal welcome."

"No, Gimli, I would not take the road through Moria unless I had no other choice." Gandalf reprimanded the dwarf. There was something in the tone of Gandalf's voice. Fear perhaps? But I ignored it; it did not seem relevant at the time. Legolas, who had been silently watching over the perimeter, chose that moment to run to the other side of the camp in order to look over the path we would be taking. I leaned higher on my seat to see what it was exactly that had caught his eye. I squinted at the small black dots that were heading through the skies in our direction.

"What is that?" I looked over and saw that Sam, too had been watching where Legolas was looking.

"Nothing; it's just a wisp of cloud." Gimli naively commented but he too continued to stare at the black dots that grew larger and larger as they flew.

"It's moving fast." Boromir exclaimed as he forgot about his sword practice with the hobbits.

"_Against_ the wind." I finished for him as I realised the objects were flying far too fast to be just normal birds.

"Crebain from Dunland!" Legolas shouted when the realisation of the nature of the creatures dawned on him.

"_Hide_!" Aragorn commanded.

Everything happened very quickly then. In a flash of movement, everyone grabbed everything that was on display and began to dive behind the nearest large rocks for cover from the flying spies. I had just secured a hiding place when I saw that in all the commotion, the fire that Sam had been cooking the food on was still lit. There was nothing quite like a signal to your enemies like a burning fire.

Without thinking, I rushed towards the fire, grabbing the bucket of water on the side as I ran. With one tip, I managed to extinguish the flames with the water. I placed the bucket under a small rock quickly and was about to look at the approaching enemies when suddenly, a large weight came crashing into my side and I found myself hurtling through the air. The strong arms that encircled me ensured that I came to no harm as I landed behind a large rock and came crashing to the hard ground.

I opened my eyes and found myself staring right into a pair of electric blue orbs. Legolas was hovering mere inches above me, his arms wrapped around my body tightly. He loosened one arm and held a single finger to his lips signifying for me to be very quiet as the flutter of wings could be heard all around. I nodded in reciprocation.

But then, something changed. We were staring so avidly into each other's eyes and I do not know if it was the adrenaline running through the air or just the sheer fear of being found out but all of a sudden; none of it seemed to matter. In that moment, it was as though Legolas and I were the only two people in the entire world. He seemed to feel the same way as he brought a single hand up to my face and gently tucked a stray strand of my dark hair behind my ear, his rough fingertips trailing ever so lightly across the skin of my cheek as he did so. I could practically hear my heart as it pounded in a frenzy against my rib cage. I did not know _what_ was happening. All I knew was that in that moment; I wanted nothing more than for Legolas to press his pale lips against my own.

"Spies of Saruman." Gandalf's words broke into the moment and Legolas shook his head and stood up. Clearly the threat had gone. "The passage South is being watched. We must take the Pass of Caradhras!" The Fellowship's gazes all followed the wizard's up to the large snow capped and treacherous mountains that loomed over us. I looked to Legolas but he avoided my gaze. This day was just getting better and better.

~x~

The mountain was steep, extremely slippery and terribly cold. Everyone except for Legolas and I had changed into thick gloves and boots with warm, padded cloaks and leggings. As I had said, we Elves rarely felt the cold. It was the hobbits that I felt pity for. Even with their thick coats and sturdy boots, their little round faces were turning blue and their teeth could be heard chattering away from great distances. I would not be surprised if they had all frozen solid by the day's end.

"Legolas?" I had decided to speak with Legolas since he had avoided me since the..._incident_ when he had saved me. Legolas turned to me with surprise all over his flawless features and slowed down immediately so we were a few feet behind the rest of the group. "I...I wanted to thank you...for before. I-I...those spies would have most certainly have seen me had you not have moved me under cover and out of sight. If you had not done what you did, this quest may have been forsaken because of my recklessness."

"There is truly no need to thank me, Aurora. If you had not put out that fire we would all be in peril." He smiled politely.

"I also wanted to say how glad I am that we are friends again," For some reason, I felt the need to foreground that we were friends and nothing more. Whether it was for his sake or mine, I did not know. "I do not know what I would do without you on this quest, Legolas." I made to catch up with rest of the group.

"Aurora, wait." Legolas called after me. "About before, I-" He was cut off short when out of nowhere, Frodo came tumbling down the mountain having fallen.

"Frodo!" Gandalf shouted but Aragorn had already run after the young hobbit and was helping him back onto his feet. I watched as Frodo felt around his neck in panic before his eyes fell on the floor a few feet in front of him. We all watched with wide and suspicious eyes as Boromir slowly picked up the ring from where Frodo had dropped it.

"Boromir," Aragorn spoke but his words were lost on Boromir who was eying the ring he held almost hungrily.

"It is a strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt over so small a thing." Boromir stated softly as he gazed at the One Ring. "Such a little thing." He spoke in barely a whisper as he slowly reached up as if to put the Ring on his finger...

"Boromir!" Aragorn snapped Boromir out of his reverie and he clasped the ring in his fist. "Give the Ring to Frodo."

Boromir seemed to deliberate all possible outcomes of the situation as he paused and stared at the ring once more before walking towards the young hobbit and outstretching his arm, causing the Ring to dangle on its chain. "As you wish." He stated, his eyes fixed on Aragorn's. "I care not." He chuckled slightly before ruffling Frodo's curly dark hair in order to relieve the tension.

It did not work.

I watched as Aragorn hesitantly loosened his vice like grip on the helm of his sword.

I turned to Legolas who was still staring intently at Boromir as the human walked back up to Gandalf's side, throwing his shield on his back as he did so. "The Ring is beginning to affect him, is it not?" I whispered.

"The Ring will affect us all. Some people are simply stronger willed than others." Legolas stated simply before sharing a brief look with Aragorn and continuing up the mountain.

~x~

To say that the weather had taken a turn for the worst would be the biggest understatement since the First Age. The air before my very eyes had been transformed into a think white whirlwind of snow that seemed to cover the whole horizon. As we walked I had noticed that the path we had chosen was gradually growing narrower and narrower until we were forced to walk in single file should we not want someone to fall to their untimely demise. The snow on the ground was so thick that it reached my mid thigh and all the hobbits and even _Gimli_ had to be carried by Aragon and Boromir.

Legolas was at the front of the Fellowship followed by Gandalf and then myself. Due to the snow, I could not see who was directly behind me. Even with my perfect vision, I could only make out a hazy shadow of either Boromir or Aragorn. Gandalf was insisting that he was fine, but Legolas and I had silently agreed to stand either side of him; just in case he made a misjudgement. Even I was beginning to feel a chill; I didn't want to think of how cold the hobbits must have been. The worst part was the storm seemed to be getting _worse_! If that was even possible. The sky was growing darker and the air was growing thicker. It was growing harder and harder to breathe by the second. I genuinely feared for the lives of the little hobbits. _No one_ deserved to die like this. I felt as though I was storming the icy confines of Hell itself.

"There is a fell voice on the air." I looked up to see the shadow that I believed to be Legolas had slowed to a halt. I closed my eyes and I too listened closely to the howling winds. Legolas was right. A distant voice was prominent on each wrath of thunder.

"It's Saruman!" Gandalf shouted just as a large cracking noise sounded from above. I looked up to see large masses of snow falling towards us and I quickly pressed myself against the face of the mountain along with everybody else.

"He's trying to bring down the mountain! Gandalf, we _must_ turn back!" Aragorn shouted at the top of his lungs over the vicious howling winds.

"No!" Gandalf protested even though it was evident that turning back was the only logical option at this point. I remembered how reluctant Gandalf had been to even negotiate entering the Mines of Moria and I wondered again if Gandalf knew something that we were all oblivious to. Gandalf stood and attempted to battle Saruman's dark magic with his own but to no avail. His words were drowned out by the roaring thunder. Another wave of treacherous snow fell in a shower of white that buried everyone completely. I fumbled around in the cold, trying to find the top when my hand burst out into the open air and I pulled myself up. I saw that everyone was managing their way out of the blanket of snow. I turned and saw Legolas already completely uncovered and sighed a breath of relief. "We must get off the mountain!" Boromir yelled with every strength he had left. "We can make for the Gap of Rohan and take the West road to my city!"

"The Gap of Rohan takes us too close to Isengard!" Aragorn shot back. "

"We cannot pass over the mountain!" Gimli inputted. "Let us go _under_ it! Let us go through the Mines of Moria!" As soon as the Mines were mentioned, I looked to Gandalf and saw his face fill with dread and despair. Whatever it was that was down there, it could not possibly be worse than freezing to death up here. Could it?

"Let the Ring bearer decide!" Gandalf obviously knew that he could not make this decision. Frodo looked at Gandalf in shock before looking around at the rest of the Fellowship trying to decipher what it was that they wanted to do. I tried to keep my face as nonchalant as possible.

"We cannot stay here!" Boromir fought his case. "This will be the death of the hobbits!" He was probably right about that.

"Frodo?" Gandalf awaited eagerly for a decision.

"We will go through the Mines."


	5. The Mines Of Moria

Chapter Five: The Mines of Moria

To the untrained eye, the Mines of Moria did not exist at all. The jagged exterior at the bottom of the mountain gave no clues as to the fortress it harboured. But to an Elven eye it was quite clearly so much more than a simple mountain. Although jagged, the wall was relatively smooth when compared to the mountain which showed that the mountain had been tampered with. The half destroyed bridge was near invisible in the murky air and the lake below it look eerily still and the water was a dull black.

"The walls of Moria!" Gandalf professed proudly as we gazed upon the mountain face. We all treaded hesitantly towards the towering wall, careful to be as silent as possible. Somehow, any commotion did not seem appropriate; the air was so still. "Dwarf doors are invisible when closed." Gimli stated as we traversed along the wall, searching for an entrance.

"Yes, Gimli, their own masters cannot find them, if their secrets are forgotten." Gandalf agreed.

"Why doesn't _that_ surprise me?" Legolas rolled his electric blue eyes and I shared a small smile with him. The rivalry between he and Gimli was always a point of comedy on our travels. Gimli heard the Elf's remark and remained silent, instead choosing to cast Legolas a menacing look.

It was then that we came to a completely flat section of wall; an obvious hiding place for the door to the Mines. "Ithildin. It mirrors only starlight and moonlight." Gandalf turned to stare up at the full and glowing moon as it withdrew from its cover behind a congregation of thick black clouds. And sure enough, a white outline of a door was created on the wall with an Elvish inscription cared along the top in an arch. "It reads," Gandalf used his staff to follow the words as he spoke "The Doors of Durin, Lord of Moria. Speak friend and enter."

"What do you suppose _that_ means?" Meri asked as we all stared with furrowed brows.

"Oh it's quite simple." Gandalf replied. "If you are a friend, you speak the password and the doors will open." He said before placing his staff in the centre of the door and yelling something in a forgotten language in a commanding manner.

Nothing happened.

He raised his hands a few steps away from the door and tried another incantation but was met with the same result. His shoulders slumped in supposed defeat. This was not like Gandalf; he was supposed to know _everything_. I was assuming that he was a little embarrassed.

"Nothing's happening." Pippin stated the obvious and Gandalf sent him a look that could surely kill before outstretching a hand and feeling around the closed door.

What seemed like an eternity later, Gandalf was _still_ trying to find the mythical words that would unlock the door whilst the rest of the Fellowship including myself all sat by the murky water's edge and twiddled our thumbs. If we could not get through the Mines of Moria, the only way left would be to continue our original journey to the Gap of Rohan which would be more or less a suicide mission due to the large Orc armies that had congregated on that particular route. Saruman had somehow discovered our original route and had ensured that it was heavily guarded. I looked around and saw that Legolas was standing away from the group.

"Legolas? What are you doing over here all by yourself? Are you alright?" I spoke gently after walking to his side.

"Should I not be?" He did not turn as he gazed across the black water.

"I too feel at unease." I took his cold front to mean his unhappiness with the present situation. "I feel as though we are sitting targets, simply waiting to be found.

"I have no doubt of Gandalf. He will find a way to open the door. There is no imminent danger." He said calmly like the warrior he was...but I knew that something was not quite right.

"Then would you be so kind as to tell me what is bothering you?" I probed.

He stayed silent for a while, before turning around and smiling that small smile that I loved so much and gently patting my arm. "Nothing is bothering me, Aurora. I am simply anxious to advance on this quest. Forgive me for acting sourly."

"Legolas?"

"Yes, Amelia?"

I wrapped my arms around his waist and leaned into his stone like chest. His arms instantly wound their way around my waist and I revelled in the feeling of completion that overwhelmed me. "Promise me that you will return from Mordor. I cannot bear the thought of losing you to such a monstrous land."

"Does this worry you, Milady?" He murmured into my hair.

"Indeed it does. My mind plays out scenarios of you falling in battle and I get so scared." I felt his fingertips rub against my back and I shivered, involuntarily. "I know it will take you some time to believe me; but being away for you for so long was the hardest thing that I ever had to do. The thought of being without you for an eternity...I..." I found myself unable to finish my sentence.

"Shhh," Legolas soothed as he pulled back from our embrace and gently held my face in his hands, stooping down slightly and forcing me to look into those electric blue eyes. "I swear to you, Amelia. I will _always_ return to you. No matter what monsters or demons I may face; I will _always_ come back to you."

He used his thumb to wipe away the single tear that fell down my cheek.

~x~

"It's a riddle." Frodo leapt up from his seat and stared up at the still closed Mine door. "Speak '_friend'_ and enter. What's the Elvish word for 'friend'?"

"Mellon." Gandalf looked at Frodo in awe. No sooner than the word escaped his lips, a heavy rumble sound was heard as the illuminated lines on the wall seemed to cut through the rock they were drawn on and within mere moments, the large stone door slowly creaked open to reveal nothing more than a dark abyss. Everyone quickly forgot what they were doing and rushed to the now opened entrance of the Mines, eager to pass through to victory on the other side of the mountain. No one said a single word as our curiosity outgrew us and we entered the pitch black Mines. I noticed that Aragorn was the last to enter after looking around the exterior of the Mines, suspiciously.

"Soon, Master Elf, you will know the fabled hospitality of the dwarves." Gimli exclaimed, pride evident in his triumphant voice. "Roaring fires, malt beer, ripe meat off the bone!" Gandalf gave light to his staff and the large cavern slowly began to illuminate. "This is the home of my cousin, Balin. And they call it a 'Mine'. A _'Mine_'!"

It was then that I almost tripped over an obstacle in the dark. I took a step back and peered down at the small object, colour draining from my face when I realised just exactly what it was. The bones of a long deceased dwarf lay at my feet, still clutching its small bow in its skeletal hands. I looked around and saw that the ground was riddled with corpses.

"This is no mine. It's a tomb." Boromir murmured as the cavern grew fully lit and the hundreds of slaughtered dwarves scattered all around came into full view.

"No!" Gimli protested as he ran towards several of his deceased race. My heart bled for the dwarf. To see one's race _massacred_ in such a way would be traumatising for anyone.

I head a loud snap behind me and turned to that Legolas had pulled an arrow head from one of the corpses and was examining it. "Goblins." He concluded.

In an instant, Aragorn, Boromir and I had firm grips on the helm of our swords as we unsheathed our weapons and eyed our surroundings. Legolas had also armed himself with his bow in a flash, ready for battle if even the slightest of threats remained.

"We make for the Gap of Rohan." Boromir spoke solely to Aragorn. "We should never have come here." Gimli's sobs echoed throughout. "Now, get out of here. Get out!"

Boromir's command was forgotten as suddenly, Frodo was pulled to the floor by an unseen attacker and dragged back out towards the lake of Moria. The Fellowship instantly responded, with the hobbits attempting to pull Frodo away from whatever held him as we, warriors quickly flooded outside. The creature had many serpentine tentacles, one of which was wrapped around Frodo's leg, and I could make out a vicious looking array of several sharp rows of pointed teeth.

The watcher in the water had awakened.

Sam managed to slice at a flailing tentacle with his sword and it seemed for a moment that the creature was retreating back into the water. The victory, however, was short lived as almost as so as it had disappeared below the murky water, the creature resurfaced with a vengeance and proceed to throw the rest of the hobbits to the ground giving it time to again wrap itself around Frodo and lift the poor hobbit high into the air. Legolas instantly fired an arrow which hit the tentacle surrounding Frodo, but it did not seem to make any apparent difference to the creature who continued to crash about as though nothing had ever happened. I leapt into the water and began slicing and stabbing any part of the monster that I could; a task which proved to be very difficult indeed.

I watched in horror as the creature lifted its demonic head out of the water and dangled Frodo above its death trap of a mouth. That was enough to drive me into a frenzy and with one swift swipe of my blade, I severed one of the flailing tentacles in two. The creature groaned in response but did not drop the hobbit. I managed to slice yet another tentacle which seemed to damage the creature a whole lot more than the first one as it dropped Frodo into the awaiting arms of Aragorn.

"Into the Mines!" Gandalf demanded and we all followed him back into the 'tomb'.

"Legolas!" Boromir shouted as the creature once again propelled its large and menacing body forward in order to catch its fleeing prey. Legolas did not need telling twice as he drew an arrow and shot the Watcher directly in the eye. I was envious of how good of a shot he was. We were all able to get into the Mines unharmed but the creature still attempted to follow. We all watched as the thrashing tentacles caused the doors to crumble and the way out was completely destroyed.

"Aurora!" Legolas yelled, grabbing my hand and pulling me back as a large assortment of rocks fell exactly where I had been stood moments prior. I was slammed into his warm chest and I was about to release myself when all the light diminished and we all stood in pitch darkness. I felt Legolas' arms surround me and pull my petite body closer to him, his breath warm against my hair.

"We now have but one choice." Gandalf spoke as he gave light to his staff and the cavern again slowly illuminated. This time, the countless bodies on the floor did not come as a surprise to us. "We must face the long dark of Moria." I quickly untangled myself from Legolas and stepped a few feet away. "Be on your guard. There are older and fouler things than Orcs in the deep places of the world.

"Quietly now." Gandalf instructed as we began to climb the stone steps of Moria. "It's a four day journey to the other side. Let us hope that our presence may go unnoticed."

~x~

Three days into our journey in the dark Mines, we had climbed an extremely steep set of stone steps and finally reached the top when Gandalf had suddenly stopped and informed us that he had no recollection of ever being where we were and therefore had no idea which of the three arches led to the way out. We had all looked at each other with defeat in our eyes as we slumped down onto the ground awaiting Gandalf's decision which he debated as he sat in front of the three possible exits. We sat in silence in the hope that the peace of mind would help Gandalf wrack his memories.

I sat next to Aragorn and Boromir on the highest stone step whilst Legolas remained standing as always. I had to admire him for his constant wish to be on guard at all times, ready for any ambush. The hobbits sat bellow us, their bare feet looking grubby and unclean against the dusty ground beneath them as they whispered in hushed tones of the hungry growing inside their constantly craving stomachs. Gimli was sat alone away from everyone else; his grief enveloping him. Frodo had run up to Gandalf a while back, and though I could have easily listened to what he had to say to the wizard; I cared not to intrude on their private conversations.

I glanced back at Legolas and smiled; a gesture in which he returned. I had decided that I would not speak of the time that we almost kissed until after the quest was complete. A stressful situation like that would only take our focus off the mission at hand and possibly get one or both of us captured or even killed. But I did not even know if I _wanted_ to bring the issue up even after the war was over. What if he had not felt the same? What if it was all just a part of my vivid imagination? What if approaching the subject ruined our valued friendship forever? I was not sure if I was willing to take such a risk on such a minor possibility.

"Ah!" Gandalf suddenly exclaimed and stood abruptly, clearly ending his private conversation with the Ring bearer. "It's _that_ way!" The wizard stepped towards the left of the three arches.

"He's remembered!" Merry said excitedly as we all stood from our positions, ready to follow Gandalf's lead.

"No." Gandalf stated. "But the air doesn't smell so foul down here. If in doubt, Meriadoc, always follow your nose." Gandalf leant down as he spoke to the hobbit before straightening up and cautiously walking down the crumbling stares into the unknown. The Fellowship followed, all looking around for any sign of possible threat or danger. I grabbed onto the nearest thing as I stumbled over a loose rock. The nearest thing just so happened to be Legolas' arm. The golden haired Elf steadied me and lowered his head to reach my eye level.

"Are you alright?" His eyes scanned over my body, worry and concern laced in his eyes.

"I am fine. Legolas. Thank you." I inhaled deeply. "And thank you for before," I referred to the falling rocks that almost killed me in the entrance to the Mines. "I would surely be dead if you had not pulled me out of the way."

"It is no chore, saving you is like breathing; it is my basic instinct." The words rang out so honest that I could not help but believe them

"Then trust your instincts," I smirked. "For they are saving my life." He chuckled as we both continued our perilous decent into the suspicious darkness.

"Let me risk a little more light." Gandalf murmured as he emerged from the staircase and the light on his staff glowed brighter than it had before. The enclosed staircase abruptly opened out into an enormous cavern with stone columns so high that I could not see their end. To think that we were inside a mountain was almost impossible. Leave it to the Dwarves to create something so large that was easily hidden away. "Behold the great realm and Dwarf city of Dwarrowdelf."

It was only when I stepped between the two main columns that I saw that the chamber seemed to be everlasting and like the ceiling, I could not see the other end of the cavern for its enormousness. The centre columns arched to create a main path with other, smaller paths leading off from it. If this was merely the _corridor_, I could barely imagine how many rooms the Mines possessed.

"There's an eye opener, an' no mistake." Sam breathed out in awe at the structures before us and I could not help but silently agree. I even heard Boromir let out a low whistle under his breath as we all began to walk along the main path, our eyes searching everywhere as we did so.

"Gimli!" Gandalf cried. I whipped my head around to see that Gimli had run off into a room with engraved stone doors and an array of Dwarf corpses before it. I had been so wrapped up in the sights around me, that I had not even noticed the warrior dwarf run free.

"No!" Gimli's broken cry was heard from the room and I made no hesitation in following after him, the remainder of the Fellowship following at my heels. Apart from the bones of countless dwarves, the only thing of any worth or purpose in the large room was w small stone tomb that lay sealed in the centre of the room. A beam of light shone down upon the head of the tomb which symbolised that whoever lay deceased in the crypt was someone of importance and respect. Gimli had sunk to his knees before the tomb, his axe lay forgotten on the ground beside him. "Oh, no." He sobbed and bowed his head before the grave of his cousin, Balin.

I stopped a few feet behind the grief stricken dwarf, not knowing how to handle the situation. I had never been good with grief. The only grief I had ever endured had caused me to run away and hide from my past for one hundred years. For the life of me, I could not think of any consoling words to say to Gimli. Whatever I said would be completely hypocritical and so I chose to remain silent and I slowly sank into the background as Gandalf walked straight past Gimli to where the head of the tomb.

"Here lies Balin, Son of Fundin, Lord of Moria." Gandalf read the engraved words carved into the head of the tomb. "He is dead, then. It's as I feared." Gimli's sobs echoed throughout the crypt as Gandalf reached down and took a large and decaying book from the hands of a fallen dwarf and began to examine the weathered cover.

"We must move on." Legolas whispered to Aragorn who stood beside him. "We cannot linger." Aragorn nodded in agreement. Legolas was right. Whatever killed the dwarves was most probably still in the Mines. The longer we stayed in one place; the more likely we were to be found."

"They have taken the bridge and the second hall." Gandalf read an extract from the decrepit dwarf's journal. "We have barred the gates...but cannot hold them for long. The ground shakes. Drums...drums in the deep. We cannot get out. A shadow moves in the dark." The warriors and the hobbits all looked around for any sign of danger but no sound was made other than Gandalf's script. "We cannot get out...They are coming."

A loud crashing noise disturbed the tense silence and eight heads whipped around to see the skeletal remains of a dwarf falling down a well, clanging loudly against everything in its path. Pippin still held the arrow he had twisted in his hand with a terrified look on his rounded face informing us all that it was _he_ who had disturbed the deceased being. I held my breath and watched the well intently as the crashing sounds continued their quick decent. The harsh noises seemed to echo throughout the entire Mines. Any cover we had...was blown. Pippin grimaced as the final crash still lingered in the air and stared up at Gandalf fearfully as the wizard slowly approached the young hobbit.

"Fool of a Took!" Gandalf scolded Pippin as he slammed the dusty book closed. "Throw yourself in next time and rid us of your stupidity." The wizard snatched his staff from the petrified Pippin. It seemed that all was well though, no other noises could be hear-

Thump.

Everyone stayed deadly still. Gandalf stopped in his tracks.

Thump. Thump.

The thumps grew faster and louder and were soon accompanied by angered cries of what sounded like at least ten thousand Orcs. Frodo pulled out his sword and it was indeed glowing a sickly blue colour.

The Orcs were close.

"Orcs." Legolas summarised, glancing around until his electric blue eyes finally met my own. I was ashamed to say...I was afraid. And by the look on Legolas' face; my fear was evident in my eyes. Through all of my extensive training and minor battles, I had never actually been involved in a large battle. I had slain many Orcs in my time, yes, but I had faced three or four at a time at maximum. And now...there was a whole stampede of the horrid creatures heading in our direction.

I was petrified.

I froze as Boromir rushed to the door only to be nearly hit by three black arrows. He quickly closed the large door and bolted it shut as Aragorn shouted at the hobbits "Get back! Stay close to Gandalf!" The hobbits did as they were told and huddled close to the wizard but not before unsheathing their tiny swords and raising them with their shaking hands.

"They have a cave troll." Boromir rolled his eyes at the situation before the ever quick thinking Legolas carefully threw two discarded axes to the human which Boromir used to further barricade the door. Legolas, Boromir and Aragorn then proceeded to stand a few feet away from the door and arm themselves with their weapons of choice. I quickly took my place beside Legolas and pulled out my bow. It was true, I was better with a blade, but using a bow, we would hopefully be able to take out a few of our foes _before_ they got through the doors.

"Let them come!" Gimli yelled as he stood atop of his cousin's tomb and held his axe high in the air, clearly fighting with a vengeance. "There is one dwarf yet in Moria who still draws breath."

We all stared in trepidation at the bulging doors that the opposing force on the other side of the wood was attempting to break down. The doors did not look like they would hold for long. Any moment now and a thousand Orcs would file into the chamber and we would fight them with everything we had. Not forgetting the cave troll, of course. _That_ was what made this scenario even _more_ disastrous. A thousand Orcs and a cave troll...against six warriors and four hobbits.

The odds were not in our favour.

A small axe made a whole in the door and the Orc wielding it squealed as Legolas' arrow hit it in the face. Valar, he was a good shot. He took another Orc out in exactly the same place before the doors came crashing to the ground and an army of Orcs began racing towards us. I fired my arrow and struck an enemy down, instantly grabbing for another arrow. I repeated this process until the Orcs swarmed us and that was when I grabbed my sword and swung it over my head, slicing several Orcs in half as I did so. Just because I was petrified, I was not going to freeze and run away.

I was not a coward.

The sound of blade's slicing through the air engulfed my ears as Orcs fell by the dozen. But for every Orc we killed, three more came running through the door. If Valar had ever made any mistake; it was the creation of Orcs. Subconsciously, I noticed the hobbits had joined in the fight and were stabbing their enemies with their knives. This was not my strong point. Pure fighting was not what I was made for. I was designed to succeed in skilful skills that would take out many enemies. I was designed to use my surroundings to my advantage as a substitute for my lowered strength.

And so that is exactly what I did.

Glancing around I noted what part of the crypt I could use to my advantage and without stopping to think about it, I launched myself onto the raised stone platform, out of reach from the disgusting Orcs. I made quick work of scrambling to the highest point on the right of the crypt where I had spotted several large loose boulders that could easily be pushed rather than lifted. I yelled at my companions to watch themselves before kicking the first of the boulders, watching it fall to the ground and crush a large amount of Orcs.

I smiled to myself in victory as I saw the dark blood seeping from beneath the boulder.

The other boulders soon followed and when I had dropped the second to last one, only a handful of Orcs remained. I thought we had a chance of winning; that my help had saved us all.

And then the cave troll arrived.

The creature was gigantic. Larger than three men stood on top of each other and wider than several horses placed together. The troll's face was distorted and deformed and his skin as a sickly green colour. His stench was particularly unbearable. Legolas instantly shot the troll in the heart, but the arrow barely pierced the surface of the troll's tough and hardened skin. This would take more than mere man power and weaponry. This would need thinking out..._strategising_.

I began calculating and evaluating the situation in my head, weighing all possible options and outcomes as I did so. My eyes then fell on the one remaining boulder. The _largest_ boulder. I looked back down and saw that the troll had targeted Frodo cornering him into an array of stone slabs.

"Legolas!" I screamed with everything that I had. Legolas looked up at me in confusion. "Get that _thing_ under here!" I pointed to the boulder. "_Exactly_ here!" Legolas nodded, his eyes brightening with the realisation of my plan. He quickly turned and headed directly for the troll, slaying any Orc that crossed his path both brutally and beautifully.

_Valar... keep him safe._

I thought to myself as I watched my greatest friend stalk over to his potential death. I, too, pulled out my bow and began picking off any Orcs that had survived to that point. When I looked back, my eyes searched desperately for Legolas and I found him stood on a platform, ducking every time the troll swung his hammer at him. After one swing, the troll's chain wrapped around a stone column. Legolas trapped the chain with his foot and used it to traverse along in order to jump onto the creature's back. I held my breath in fear for his life.

I watched with pride as Legolas stood on the beast's shoulders, aimed his arrow downwards and shot the troll in one of its black beady eyes. He then jumped down, landing without fault, and grabbed the troll's discarded chain. He inventively ran around the screaming troll's leg, wrapping the chain around the creature's ankle and proceeded to step underneath where I was stood and pull the chain. The troll had no choice but to stumble in the direction that Legolas willed.

"Now!" Legolas shouted as he took a step back and the troll stood beneath me. I used all my force to kick the boulder and watched triumphantly as the large weight plummeted down until it finally crashed down upon the troll. The troll's body crumpled to the ground.

There was nothing left of its head.

I victoriously hopped from ledge to ledge until my feet landed firmly on the ground. I was greeted with a sight I did not expect as the rest of the Fellowship all huddled together around an unknown cause. "No! Frodo!" I heard Sam cry out and my legs ran as fast as they could towards the fallen hobbit. But by the time I had arrived, Frodo was alive and well. He had been protected from the troll's spear due to the Mithril that he wore beneath his clothes. The Elven material was extremely rare and extremely useful.

The sound of scurrying Orcs flooded my ears and I knew that the nightmare was far from over. The Mines of Moria had become the breeding ground for the mutant race and we ten companions were sat right in the middle of the spider's web. We need to get out of there...and we needed to do it quickly.

"To the Bridge of Khazad-dûm!" Gandalf ordered before racing back to the enormous chamber. We remaining nine companions did not need telling twice. I waited for everyone else to get through the small doorway before Legolas grabbed my hand and pulled me along with him. I did not like having the hobbits at the back of the group; the small men could be snatched up in an instants notice before we had even noticed.

As we all sprinted through the vast chamber, I noticed Samwise turn around to see our fast approaching enemy. I did not turn back myself; but from the look of pure terror that reached his eyes, I knew that the Orc army was rapidly gaining on us. Still, we continued to run in a solid formation as all around us, Orcs seemed to spring up from the solid stone floor.

And then we were surrounded.

With no choice but to stop in our tracks, the Fellowship formed a circle with every member facing outwards against our foes. All of the warriors readied themselves to fight but we all knew that it was hopeless. No matter how strong or skilled we were; the number of Orcs were just too great. We would not last one minute before our bodies lay lifeless and limp on the cold ground which would be our final resting place. The only light came from Gandalf's glowing staff, and even _that_ seemed to be waning.

A tremendous roar echoed throughout the chamber as an orange glow formed at the end of the hall. Whatever beast slumbered in the depths of the Mines, the Orcs were most certainly not willing to be in sight now that it had clearly awoken. Within thirty seconds, most of the Orcs had retreated into the shadows leaving the path to the bridge completely clear. But not one of the Fellowship moved an inch. Instead, we all stared wide eyed at the orange glow, petrified as to what was just around that corner.

"What is this new devilry?" Boromir whispered into Gandalf's ear, his voice uneven and shaking.

"A Balrog." Gandalf's response was barely audible over the continuing roars of the monster. "A demon of the ancient world. This foe is beyond any of you." Gandalf whispered in defeat. "_Run_!" We ran as fast as our legs would carry us as Gandalf ushered us through a large doorway. Legolas let go of my hand in order to follow behind Aragorn but he glanced around to ensure that I was still behind him.

We entered a fiery cavern with crumbling footpaths and treacherous sheer drops. Boromir almost stumbled into the fiery lava below, had Legolas not grabbed him and pulled him from the edge. The walls around us were collapsing. We only had a few minutes at most until the whole cavern was burned in a fiery pit.

"Lead them on, Aragorn." Gandalf instructed, clearly weakened from the previous battle. "The bridge is near. Do as I say! Swords are no more use here!"

The Fellowship followed the dangerous path carefully and quickly as the lava below spluttered and glowed in anticipation. When walking down the dangerous stairs, a gap lay ahead in our path. Legolas and I jumped across immediately without any hesitation before turning to help our lesser advanced companions. Gandalf used all of his strength to jump the gap followed by Merry, Pippin and Boromir. Aragorn threw over Sam whilst Gimli made the leap all on his own. All the while, Legolas and I shot down the few Orcs that fired arrows at us from all around. The gap was now too large to jump across and so Aragorn cleverly rocked the small path in order to jump across to us at the final moment.

We continued down the treacherous steps until finally we reached the Bridge of Khazad-dûm. Gandalf instructed us all to cross the bridge, an instruction that we all followed immediately. As I crossed to the other side; I heard the roar of the Balrog and knew that the creature had finally caught up with us. I turned to see the demonization of evil itself towering above us with fiery eyes, black horns and a tail that was as sharp as a sword. Not needing another instruction; I grabbed Merry and Pippin and haled them up the stairs and out into the open air.

The bright sun blinded me momentarily as I emerged onto the flat rocks just outside of the Mine entrance. I placed the hobbits down before turning back to see Legolas, Sam and Gimli also escape unharmed from the darkness. Boromir appeared carrying a writhing Frodo and Aragorn appeared shortly afterwards, a solemn expression painted onto his rugged face.

I was not stupid.

I knew instantly from the cries of Frodo that Gandalf had fallen against the Balrog.

Pippin Howled. Sam bowed his head and cried. Merry's face crumpled and Gimli protested fate at the top of his lungs. I said not one word. Inside; I was crying. Behind the mask I always wore was a young girl who had just lost one of the closest people in her life. But now was not the time for pain and suffering. Now was the time to continue on with the quest. It would be what Gandalf would have wanted; I was sure.

"Legolas, get them up." Aragorn clearly agreed with me.

"Give them a moment, for pity's sake!" Boromir protested, his eyes shining with the curse oif unshed tears.

"By nightfall, these hills will be swarming with Orcs. We must reach the woods of Lothlorien." Aragorn pointed towards the sacred woods and we continued on as though we were not at all affected by the death of Gandalf the Grey.

~x~


End file.
